Coming Home
by Hank's Lady
Summary: After two years away from Santa Carla, Paul decides to go back to see if it's still the same. Not much has changed, including Edgar Frog, and he's no longer a kid. Paul finds him interesting, but Edgar is still full of hate and distrust. Can they get along somehow? Will Paul get what he came for? Rated for sex and violence. MM Slash Paul/Edgar.
1. Chapter 1

I opened my eyes and stretched. It was dusk, and Zeus and Mars' laughing faces looked down on me. Zeus swiped his tongue across my cheek and I screwed up my face. It was about time I found a perch to sleep on—high enough that they couldn't reach me.

"Get off, stupid mutt."

Wagging their stumpy tails, the two Dobermans backed away and waited for me to get up. I took them outside to do their business and stared up at the stars. I'd come to a decision and it was time to tell David and Dwayne. When they appeared, ready to go hunting, I took an unrequired breath and spat out the words before I could change my mind.

"I'm going back."

"What? Back where?" David's yellow eyes narrowed. He was hungry and irritated, not the best mood for me to give him this news in.

"Santa Carla."

"Why the hell would you want to go back after everything that happened?" he demanded.

"You don't need me here. And I'm bored. I want something more."

"Something more than we saw yesterday?" Dwayne grinned.

The pair of them had returned to our current home to find me fucking both a girl and a guy at the same time. Ironic really. The first time I caught David and Dwayne screwing, I'd demanded bleach for my eyeballs. But seeing them together for so long had made me curious. Eventually, I figured if I tried a guy and a girl together, if I really didn't like dick I could take turns fucking her instead. But I'd liked it. Really liked it. Dwayne had thought it hilarious to find the guy sucking my dick. He and David had made themselves scarce and I'd gone on to fuck the guy after a bit of encouragement from both my temporary lovers. Fuck, he was tight. And after I drilled him, I had the pleasure of feeding from them both. For a moment I'd even thought about keeping the guy around, but that idea had lasted just long enough for me to realise it was the sex I liked, not the actual guy, and he'd gone the same way all the others had—down an old dried up well.

"Yes." I nodded, relieved I wasn't capable of flushing. "You two have each other. I've never seen a couple more wrapped in each other."

"So you want what we have?" David raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know. Not really. But I want something."

"And you think you'll find that in Santa Carla?"

"Who knows? Maybe. I can always come back and look for you if it doesn't work out. But I need to do this now. It's been two years. A lot might have changed."

"Yeah, the town's probably been taken over by a new bunch."

"Wonder if Edgar Frog is still there?" Dwayne mused. "It was so much fun tormenting that poor kid. And that friend of his, Sam."

I grinned. Sam had been a complete pussy, but Edgar— don't even go there, I told myself. He was sixteen or seventeen. A child. And a hater of vampires. He'd stake me given the chance. But still I grinned. He'd been a cute kid. He wouldn't be a kid any more. He'd be a man.

"You gonna take the RV?" David asked.

"It's yours."

"We have this." David indicated the deserted ranch house we'd inhabited for the past year. The cellar made the perfect vampire sleeping chamber. "Take it if you want it. The dogs, too. They're yours more than ours."

"Seriously?" I hadn't thought about what would happen with Zeus and Mars. I'd been responsible for them joining us, but David was our leader.

"You love the mutts." David grinned, flashing his fangs. "We're good here. Not even a sniff of a hunter."

"We'll miss you," Dwayne said.

"Nah. You won't." I chuckled. "You don't need me hanging around like a third wheel."

"You know where we are." David's face turned serious. "You can send a message. If you need us, we'll be there."

I nodded.

"When will you go?"

"No time like the present."

And that was it—decision made. We all hunted together one last time. Then I fed the dogs, put them in the RV, and got behind the wheel.

I drove all night, parked up as dawn approached, and slept in the darkened interior. When I woke, I didn't need to feed. I filled up with gas, grabbed a burger and a coke, and drove on. I made it to the outskirts of Santa Carla by the early hours of the morning and again, found somewhere to park and sleep. I slept only because the light and the effect on my body dictated it. When I woke, I was so wired I wondered how I'd spent twelve hours unconscious.

I let the dogs out for a run, gave them a fuss and a feed, then drove the last few miles to park in the familiar parking area by the boardwalk. It looked no different to what it had two years earlier, and the entertainment hadn't changed either.

Screams came from the roller coaster, the smell of hot dogs, Mexican and Chinese snacks, and sweet donuts made my mouth water. Crowds wandered the boardwalk, eating, drinking, chatting and laughing, getting their ears pierced, buying trinkets, and lining up for the coaster and the other rides. Hearts pounded, blood raced, and my nostrils flared. I needed to feed before I did anything.

I grabbed a snack from one of the stalls, wolfed it down, then followed a lone guy back to the parking area. Thirty minutes later, when the tide carried his body out to sea, I returned to the boardwalk. I hadn't realised how much I'd missed this town. Everything had gone to shit two years ago, with first Star's death, then Marko's, leading to us leaving. It had been the right time to go, but I was glad to be back. I wondered if I'd find any of my kind. Usually we didn't stay in the same place long, or at least that's what David had always said. We were the exception to the rule, staying so long in Santa Carla, and then over a year near El Paso, when we stopped driving around aimlessly.

Eventually, I dropped in at the comic book store. I'd been putting it off for a number of reasons. I'd liked the place when I lived here before, both for the comics—particularly the vampire ones that made me laugh—and for the fun of teasing the Frog brothers. They called themselves vampire hunters and it had been Alan who killed Star. Marko killed him in return, but that left Edgar alone and vowing revenge. I doubted he'd forgotten that.

In addition, I put it off because I didn't want to admit to myself I wanted to see how he turned out, and didn't want to discover he might have left. But when I finally looked into the store, there he was, alone, sorting out a new box of comics.

Edgar hadn't changed much. He was still short, fair-haired, and wearing army-style clothing and a red bandana tied around his head. But he didn't look like a kid any more. The baby face and puppy fat had gone. I approached slowly and stopped a few feet away. "Edgar."

He jumped and looked up, eyes wide. Then his brows furrowed and his eyes narrowed instead. "What are you doing back here?"

"Visiting."

"What do you want?"

"Comics, of course." I grinned.

"Right." He curled his lip, then suddenly shifted his gaze and stared past my left shoulder. His annoyed expression changed to alarm. He could never have been a poker player.

"What?" I glanced over my shoulder and caught the eye of a shaggy-haired redhead with a pierced nose. He was flanked by two stocky blond guys with tattooed muscles bulging out of their shirt sleeves. None of them had a heartbeat. Vampires.

The leader spared me a fleeting glance, one eyebrow lifted, but his attention was on Edgar. I slipped away around the centre stand of comics and made my way to the door. I had no intention of leaving until I discovered what the newcomers wanted, but I lurked out of sight. They'd know I was there, but they didn't pay me any attention. Edgar's gaze searched for me and his jaw twitched. He was alone with three bad-ass vampires crowding him. Perhaps he hoped I'd be on his side.

I observed and listened as the redheaded vampire backed Edgar into a corner, threatening him unless he opened up the till and let them take what they wanted. So that was the way it was. Pay up, and they'd leave him alone.

Edgar opened the till and one of the blond thugs emptied it. Seconds later, they walked out, laughing, barely sparing me a glance as they passed.

Edgar slammed the till closed and brushed a hand across his eyes. Facing away from me, he didn't notice or hear me approach until I was a couple of feet away. Then he spun around.

"What the fuck do you want, whatever your name is?"

"Paul," I supplied. "Those guys—I'm guessing they're the resident vampires?"

"Yeah."

"This happen often, does it?"

"What do you mean?" Edgar growled, regaining his composure.

"Them taking your money."

He shrugged. "They won't be doing it for much longer. I'm gonna lose this place if this carries on. I can't pay the bills." He snapped his mouth shut and glared as if he realised he'd said too much.

"How long have they been here?"

"Almost a year. They're worse than your lot ever were. David seemed almost angelic in comparison." He snorted out a bitter laugh.

"You don't have a, um, a partner or anything?"

"I _had_ a brother. Until you killed him."

I didn't correct him and say that I'd had nothing to do with Alan's death. "I'm sorry. Must be tough on your own."

"What do you care?"

"I'm alone, too. I'm kind of in the same boat."

Edgar sneered. "You are not. You're a killer. The walking dead. Just like them."

"They're on my turf, taking stuff from a store I used to like. Do you know the phrase 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend?'"

"What are you talking about?"

"We could be on the same side, you know. I didn't hurt you or your brother."

"You would have, if one of the others hadn't got in first. Alan killed Star, remember? Would you have let him walk away?"

"No." I shook my head. "But it didn't happen that way, did it? I'm not here to cause trouble."

"Then why are you here? Because if I remember correctly, you used to hang around here more than the others, stealing our fucking stock and tormenting us, just because you could."

"Maybe I just missed the place. Wondered if it was still the same." I turned away, scanned the horror comic section, and picked up an issue with a vampire graphic on the front. It was priced at two dollars. I pulled out a couple of bills and placed them on the till.

Edgar ignored the money. "We might have a common enemy, but that doesn't make us friends."

"No, but it could mean we can fight on the same side. You want to keep this store, or not?"

"Of course I do. It was my parents' store."

"Well, then. Perhaps your new security guy can help." I grinned and spread out my hands to indicate myself.

Edgar didn't smile. "What do you want in return?"

"Nothing. Maybe a comic every so often. Which I'll pay for." I rolled up the new comic and tucked it into my jacket.

"You don't want to feed off me or anything?"

"Or anything?" I grinned wider.

Edgard flushed and scowled. This was new.

I backed off and found somewhere to sit. "I'm just gonna sit here and read this." I pulled out the comic again and unrolled it. I didn't look up again until I'd read it from cover to cover. Customers came and went, some just looking, some buying. The other vampires didn't come back. A slight skirmish near the door drew my attention as I was putting the finished comic back in my pocket. A quick glance showed me a couple of kids gathering up a bunch of comics they seemed to be planning on stealing. In seconds, I was at the front of the store, grabbing each by the scruff of their necks.

"You planning on paying for those?" I nodded at the piles of comics in their arms.

"What's it to you?"

"Well now, I just scored a new job here. I wouldn't be doing it very well if I let the stock disappear, now would I?" I released the pair and snatched the comics from them. "Get the fuck out of here. Next time I won't be so nice about it."

They fled, and I turned to the shelf the comics came from, idly putting them back in their places. About a half hour after that, Edgar pulled the display at the front of the store inside and began to slide the doors closed.

"You're closing?" I raised my eyebrows.

"It's midnight. I've been open fourteen hours." He yawned.

"Right. I might just take another one of these." I selected another comic and waved the money under his nose. "Bedtime reading."

Edgar snatched the bills out of my hand. "Get out of here."

"Dusk tomorrow?"

He sighed, considering. "If you must," he said grudgingly.

Smirking, I strode out of the store and went back to the RV to take the dogs for a walk.


	2. Chapter 2

I woke in the RV to find Zeus and Mars slobbering over my face. I pushed them off, let them out for a run around the parking area, and put out some food for them. I needed to find a more permanent place to park since I'd decided I was staying. I supposed I could check out the old cavern, but there wasn't a suitable place to park a large vehicle near there. It would draw too much attention.

I took the dogs with me when I headed to the boardwalk. I didn't need to hunt, but I grabbed some Chinese food as I passed the stall that had been a favourite with all of us. Poor Marko. He'd usually been the one to fetch the Chinese when we were in our home.

The comic book store was busy when I walked in, with a number of kids choosing their next purchase. I stayed out of the way until they were done, then made a beeline for Edgar.

"You came back, then." He scowled.

I grinned. "Good to see you, too."

"Where did those dogs come from?"

"They're my hounds of hell, Zeus and Mars."

"I don't want dogs in here."

"They're guard dogs."

"Yeah, to guard the likes of you from me." Edgar eyed the dogs warily.

"They guard what I want them to guard. They're very well trained. If I'm not around, they'll keep that redheaded freak and his sidekicks out of here."

"Fine. Keep them out of my way." Edgar was no less grumpy than I remembered, and it still amused me.

"You hungry?" I asked.

"Why?"

"I bought too much." I offered him a carton of chicken noodles.

"You eat food?" His eyebrows rose.

I chuckled. "Jeez, for a vampire hunter, you don't know much about us, do you? I seem to remember you thinking we'd be scared of garlic, too. Do you get all your information from your comics?"

"If you're just gonna take the piss, you can fuck off and leave me alone."

"Come on, Edgar, I'm just teasing you. Here." I placed the carton of noodles on the bench beside the till and went to sit down. Zeus and Mars followed and sat at my side like a pair of sentries. I ate my food, then chose a couple of comics to keep me occupied.

Eventually, Edgar relaxed. He ate the food, although it must have been cold by the time he opened the box. Then he wandered around the store, cautiously approaching until he hovered a few feet away from me. "If you're careful with those—" He indicated the comic in my hands, "—you can just put them back when you're done."

"Okay. Thanks." I shot him a smile and carried on reading.

It was a quiet evening. I had no idea what day of the week it was, but assumed it couldn't be Friday or Saturday. Edgar confirmed it when he closed up at ten o'clock and told me he opened for shorter hours on Sundays. There had been no trouble, but now I had nothing to do for the rest of the night.

"What are you doing now?" I asked. "Wanna hang out?"

"No," Edgar snapped. "I'm busy."

"I was being friendly."

"We're not friends," he reminded me.

"So you keep saying."

"Seriously, what do you want, Paul? I don't get it."

"I guess I want something to do. And I need somewhere to park my RV. Any suggestions?"

"There's a big ass parking lot at the other end of the boardwalk." Edgar locked the doors and disappeared around the back of the building. A few minutes later, a light in the apartment above the store went on. So that was where he lived. Shrugging, I took the dogs for a midnight adventure on the beach.

Edgar was fucking hard work, I mused. It was going to take some effort to soften him up, but I supposed he'd stop treating me like the enemy eventually. Or maybe I was wasting my time. Maybe he would always hate me. He probably wasn't even gay.

I laughed at myself. Why the hell was I even interested in him? He'd progressed from cute to hot, and his snarky attitude and growly voice did something to me. The fact that I liked those things irritated me. I didn't want to want someone like that and end up like David and Dwayne. But then again, why had I even come back here? I'd been thinking about him before I showed up.

"You fucking idiot," I muttered. "You don't even want to be with someone other than for a fuck. How do you think it would work with a human if you don't kill them after? He doesn't want you, even if he is into guys. Now I'm fucking talking to myself."

Zeus licked my hand, looking up at me expectantly.

"Yeah, at least you don't think I'm a dick." I patted his head and immediately Mars appeared on my other side, begging for the same attention. "You boys are all I need," I confirmed.

I spent the rest of the week doing the same thing, hanging out at the store with Edgar, teasing him off and on and laughing at his snappy responses. A couple of times he caught me staring and glared more than usual. Other than that, nothing happened. There was no sign of the other vampires, and no thefts. Until Saturday. Then Edgar was more tense than usual.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You're freaking out."

"The fuck I am." He stooped to pick up the pile of comics he'd dropped.

"Your heart is hammering."

"Fuck off with that freaky shit." He backed away, teeth clenched.

"Edgar, what's wrong?"

"It's Saturday, okay? Busiest day of the week. That's when they come, because they know the till will be full."

"Yeah, well this is different from other Saturdays, isn't it? I'm here. Along with my hounds of hell. Nothing will happen." I did my best to reassure him, even went so far as to put my hand on his shoulder.

He jerked away. "Don't fucking touch me."

"Relax. I won't bite."

Edgar gulped and backed away farther. His bravado seemed to have deserted him. I went to my usual spot and sat down. Zeus and Mars sat with me and we waited. Eventually, around eleven o'clock, they came. I sensed them before they came into sight and stood up. The dogs jumped to their feet as one, instantly raising their hackles and baring their teeth.

"Paul—" Edgar looked at me helplessly. He might hate to admit it, but he did want me there. I walked over and stood in front of him. The dogs stood in front of me, issuing warning growls.

"What's this? Got yourself a bodyguard, Frog?" the redheaded vampire sneered.

"Looks that way, doesn't it?" I grinned, letting him see my fangs. Zeus and Mars each took a couple of steps forward, teeth showing.

"Who the fuck are you, anyway?" Redhead asked me.

"I was here before you; now I'm back. You'd better take your threats elsewhere."

The two blond musclemen laughed. "You think _you_ can take on the three of us?"

I snorted. "Boys, on guard."

Zeus and Mars snarled and moved forward, perfectly in sync with each other. Much to my satisfaction, the trio backed away. I grinned wider. "You got your answer. Now fuck off and leave Edgar and his store alone."

They stood their ground for another minute, then turned and walked away. "Stand down," I said. Zeus and Mars relaxed, licked their lips as if they didn't have a care in the world, and went to sit down by the bench I always used. I turned around.

Edgar sank onto the stool by the till, breathing fast, his heart racing so hard I could barely distinguish one beat from the next.

"Hey." I put my hand on his shoulder and squeezed. "They're gone."

"Huh." He was shaking.

"Come on, it's okay." I slid my hand to the back of his neck. His collar-length hair brushed my hand and I ran a finger through it, finding the strands soft and silky. I breathed in, catching the scent of his blood as it raced through his veins, and my dick twitched. To my surprise, Edgar didn't jerk away. He sat still, shivering, letting me stroke his neck. I ran my fingers around the inside of his collar and noticed parts of a mostly-hidden tattoo. It looked like some kind of tribal design. "What's the tattoo?"

"Um…" Edgar paused, then unbuttoned his shirt and shrugged it off his shoulders. The black swirls extended from his shoulder blades, down the majority of his back to his waist.

"Wow. Nice." I trailed my fingertips down his spine, then snatched my hand away when he shuddered.

He shook himself and pulled his shirt back in place. "Thanks."

"You okay?"

"Yes." He turned around at last and looked up at me. "I still don't get it. Why you're helping me."

I shrugged one shoulder. "I told you, I like this store. Those assholes aren't going to destroy it. Besides, they're on my patch."

"You're staying, then?"

"Yeah, for now."

"You can park your RV behind the store. There's space next to my car."

"It's in the big ass parking lot at the other end of the boardwalk." I repeated his words from before and chuckled.

"It'll get towed."

"Good point. I'll move it later. Thanks."

The last hour was quiet. A few people in their late teens and early twenties came in to buy comics, but there was no more trouble. When Edgar locked up, I hung around until I saw the light go on in his apartment, then went to fetch the RV.

The parking area behind the store was plenty large enough for my home on wheels. I parked beside Edgar's ancient Chevy, then set off again with the dogs. When I returned a couple of hours later, the lights in the apartment were still on. It was past two in the morning and he was up, despite having been yawning when he closed the store. I hovered outside the door that led up to the apartment, tempted to press the buzzer, but I talked myself out of it and retired early for the day.

As soon as dusk fell on Sunday, I was back in the store with a bag of Mexican food I'd picked up from one of the food stalls.

"Hey. You like tacos?"

Edgar frowned. "Why?"

"You're so suspicious. Do you like them or not?"

"Yes."

"Good." I pulled a package out of the bag and passed it to him.

"You don't have to bring me food. I'm not even paying you to hang around and scare off... whoever."

"Did I ask for payment?" I sat down and opened my own food package. "You were up late last night."

"You were spying on me?"

"No. Jeez. I went to walk the dogs. Your light was on after two."

"Oh. I was doing my accounts." He sighed.

"How bad is it?"

"It's my business, all right?"

"You can tell me. Who else have you got to talk to?"

Edgar bit into a taco and chewed slowly. He didn't answer for several minutes and I ignored him, eating one of my own tacos until he spoke again. "I can't pay the mortgage. I'm three months behind and if I don't sort it out by the end of the month, the bank's gonna foreclose. Okay?"

"This is all because of those vamps?"

"Yes. The store does a good trade, but I make almost as much on Saturdays as I do the entire rest of the week. They've been coming by every couple of weeks. Sometimes every week and taking everything. My savings are all gone." He shook his head. "I don't even know why I'm telling you."

"I asked. I can help, if you'll accept it."

"Help? How? Anyway, you're right. I wouldn't accept it. I'm already concerned about what you're gonna want from me some day."

"Don't be. I'm not after your blood." I smiled. "You won't owe me anything, all right? Just a parking space and maybe I can use your shower once in a while? The one in the RV is barely big enough to wash a cat."

Edgar snorted. "The expression is swing a cat."

"Whatever. How much do you have to pay the bank?"

"Five thousand dollars."

I bit my lip. Did I have that much? I barely spent anything and I'd been stashing the contents of all the wallets I collected from my victims for as long as I could remember. "Wait here. Zeus, Mars. On guard." I left the dogs in the store and went back to the RV.

The metal box with my money in it was rammed full of notes in various denominations. I pulled out the pile of hundred dollar bills first, counted them out laboriously, and was surprised to find almost five grand there. I added to it from the collection of fifties, closed the box, and returned to the store. Edgar was serving a couple of kids, so I tucked the wad of cash inside my jacket and waited for them to leave. When Edgar looked at me, a fleeting expression of hope slid across his face.

"Got it."

"Paul, I can't take your money." His words belied the look in his eyes.

"Yeah, you can. What am I gonna do with it? I don't buy anything except food, and occasionally something to wear." I indicated my latest leather jacket. "Here. Put it somewhere." I handed him the pile of money.

"How much?"

"Five thousand. That's what you said you needed."

"It's too much."

"Take it."

Edgar hesitated. "Where'd you get it?"

"Don't ask me that, okay? Just save the store. Do something good with it." I sighed, sure he was going to throw the money back in my face, but he pulled out a bag from behind the till and put the money in it.

"Thank you," he whispered. "I'll go to the bank in the morning."


	3. Chapter 3

When I arrived at the store on Monday evening, Edgar looked different, less worried. He even smiled when he saw me. The dogs trotted up to him and he patted their heads.

"Everything okay?" I asked.

"Yeah. Thanks again. I'm off the hook. For now."

"It'll be okay from now on though, right?"

"Should be. I'm behind on some other stuff as well, but a couple of good weeks and it'll be fine. Until next time."

"There won't be a next time. Those leeches won't get near you again."

"Leeches?" Edgar smirked. "You call them that, and yet—"

"I'm the same? Not exactly. I have one thing in common with them, but nothing else."

"I suppose I'm starting to see that," he said grudgingly.

"Have you eaten tonight?"

"Not yet. Have you?"

I raised an eyebrow. "No and no."

"Oh." He scrunched up his face.

"I'm fine. I was thinking about getting some food from the Chinese stall. You in?"

"Yes, but I'm paying." Insistent, Edgar took ten dollars out of the till and gave it to me.

I went to fetch the food, leaving the dogs with Edgar. As I made my way to the Chinese stall, I spotted the redheaded vampire's two thugs. One saw me and caught the attention of the second. They walked purposefully towards me.

"You're still here, then." I stared from one to the other. "Where's your boss?"

"Gone to pay your little Frog a visit." Thug Number 1 grinned.

"It was only a matter of time before one of us could get him alone. After that stunt last time, he's gonna wish he never met you." Thug Number 2 chuckled.

I almost blurted out that my hounds of hell were with Edgar, but I bit back the words. They'd go rushing to the store if I said that. Instead, I shrugged one shoulder. "Edgar Frog and I go way back. He's used to having me around. You, on the other hand, are on my territory."

"You think you have a chance against the two of us?" Number 1 flashed his fangs.

"You really want to do that in front of all these nice people?" I gestured to the crowd wandering around. The sound of Zeus and Mars snarling reached my ears and I smiled. Any minute now.

The redhead appeared at top speed, one arm torn and bleeding and a couple of fingers missing from the other hand. People drew back in horror as blood splashed around.

"Have a nice evening." I slipped away, quickly bought the food I'd come for, and returned to the store. Edgar hovered by the till, anxious but unhurt. Zeus munched on something which I suspected was vampire fingers. I put the bag of food beside the till. "You okay?"

"Yes, thanks to the hounds of hell." Edgar smiled. "The leader was on his own. I think Zeus got a couple of his fingers."

"Yeah, I just saw the result." I didn't ask if Redhead had got what he came for—there was no need. The dogs wouldn't have let him.

I reached for the food at the same time as Edgar did, and our hands brushed against each other. He jumped and pulled his hand back, his heartrate speeding up. The hair on my arms stood on end and a shiver ran down my spine. My leather pants grew uncomfortably tight. I ignored it as best I could and dug into the food. I took mine to my usual seat and fed the dogs bits of roast pork. Edgar began to eat, shooting little glances in my direction when he thought I wasn't looking. Eventually, our eyes met and he turned away quickly, flushing a deep red. I laughed quietly to myself. Maybe I should show my hand before too much longer.

I got the opportunity later that night. After the store closed, I followed Edgar around the back of the building to put the dogs in the RV as he went to his apartment.

"Hey," I called out across the yard. "Your shower still on offer?"

"I suppose. Yeah. Come up." He waited while I ducked into the RV to grab a fresh pair of pants. When I joined him, he shot three deadbolts on the inside of the outer door, put two chains on, and set an alarm. "Wow. Fort Knox. You planning on keeping me here all night?"

Edgar flushed and scowled, then stamped up the stairs ahead of me. I sniggered quietly as I followed. At the top of the stairs, he simply pointed at a door. "Help yourself. Towels in the cupboard." He opened another door and disappeared.

I went into the bathroom and enjoyed the first proper hot shower I'd had in as long as I could remember. I took my time, shampooing my hair and scrubbing my body with a rough sponge and some shower gel that smelled like oranges. Eventually, I gave in to my imagination and jerked off, eyes closed, as I thought about Edgar shrugging off his shirt to show me his tattoo, and me taking off the rest of his clothes. I came hard and fast, cursing quietly. It had been too long since I fucked, or even got myself off.

I towelled dry, ran a comb through my long tangled hair, and pulled on a pair of clean pants. They were soft white denim, the fabric so tight anyone with partial eyesight would be able to see every wrinkle in my dick. I left the top button undone, revealing a few light brown hairs where my pubic region began, and shoved my feet into my boots. I gathered up the clothes I'd taken off and opened the door.

The other three doors were closed, but light shone under one of them and the sound of a TV show reached my ears. I tapped on the door with one knuckle and opened it. On the other side of the door was a cosy lounge room, a TV unit in one corner with a stack of video tapes next to it, an old couch on which Edgar sat, and a long coffee table holding a number of comics and a cup of coffee. Shelving ran along one wall, stacked with a curious combination of books about vampires and religion.

Edgar turned his attention away from the TV and stared up at me, eyes widening. His gaze dropped from my face and travelled down my body, then back up. He looked away quickly, cheeks reddening. "Are you done?"

"Yeah, thanks. Any chance of a coffee?"

"Uh, sure. How do you drink it?"

"White and sweet." I smiled.

"Right. Have a, um, have a seat." He jumped up and rushed out of the room.

I put my clothes on the floor by the door, then sat on the couch, right in the middle so Edgar would have to either sit near me, or stand up. He returned a couple of minutes later with another cup of coffee and placed it on the table in front of me. Then he hovered, fidgeting.

"Sit down, Edgar." I picked up the coffee and sipped it, humming my approval. "Thanks for this."

"Sure." He nodded and sat sown gingerly on the edge of the cushion to my right. His heart thundered in his chest and he swallowed several times, mouth flooded with saliva brought on by anxiety.

I gulped the coffee and put the cup down. "What's bugging you?"

"Nothing."

"Bullshit. You're nervous."

"I'm not used to anyone being here."

"You don't have friends?"

"Only one and he's out of town."

"No girlfriend?"

He shook his head.

"Boyfriend?"

"No!" His ears reddened.

I laughed. "What's that expression about protesting too much?"

"I'm single." Edgar scowled. "Not that it's any of your business."

"I was curious." I leaned back and crossed one ankle over the opposite knee. Edgar glanced at my bare chest and abs, his gaze lingering a little too long to be innocent. His pulse raced and I could smell his arousal, mixed with a hint of fear. My dick swelled, straining against the impossibly tight pants. The urge to rip them off and pounce on him was so strong, I don't know how I stopped myself. I would have to be more subtle than that. "How old are you?" I asked. "Eighteen?"

"Nineteen. Why?"

"Told you, I'm curious." I put my foot back on the ground and turned sideways, my knee bumping his. He swallowed nervously. "You want me to go?"

He shrugged, avoiding my eyes. "I don't care."

"You're awfully hard to get to know when you won't talk."

He sighed. "What do you want from me?"

"Depends on you, doesn't it?" I grinned, hoping I didn't look as predatory as I felt, and placed my hand on his leg, just above the knee. My fingers brushed the inside of his thigh, making my intentions very clear.

His lips parted and his breath rushed out of his lungs. He sucked in another breath, eyes wide. "Don't," he gasped.

I kept my hand where it was. "You telling me you're not into guys after all?"

He shook his head.

"Just not into me?" I inched my fingers up his thigh and glanced down. He was very obviously hard and I could smell the blood pooling in his groin.

"I've never done it before!" he blurted.

"Okay." I took my hand off and cupped his chin instead. Frightened brown eyes met mine. "That, I can work with."

"No. I can't. You're a—" He broke off.

"Trust me, it works. I can keep that side of me in check." I smiled to show him my fangs were retracted. "Think about it, okay?" I ran my thumb over his lower lip and leaned in closer, pressing a kiss to his cheek. He shivered. I pulled back and stood up. "Make sure you lock the door behind me."

I moved so fast I would have been a blur to him. In less than a minute, I'd got through all the locks and was back in the RV. I charged into my bedroom area, kicked off my boots, and shoved my pants down. "Fucking hell, Edgar," I muttered, as I grabbed my dick roughly and began to jerk off again. Somehow, him telling me he'd never done anything before only made him more enticing. If only he would say yes, I could explore something no one had before, and hell, he'd be tight when I fucked him. I came with a roar, my previous release in the shower having done nothing to lessen my need. I imagined my hands would get a regular workout for a while, as I took my time doing something I'd never had the fun of doing—seducing a virgin.

Trembling, I collapsed on my bed. "Fuck," I muttered. "Fuck, fuck, fuck. Why do I want him to much?"


	4. Chapter 4

When I woke the next evening, the first thing I thought of was Edgar. My dick was hard and I was starving hungry—not for food this time. I dealt with the former, then dragged on some clothes and took the dogs outside. I didn't trust myself near Edgar until I'd fixed the latter, and I sent the dogs into the store by themselves, then quickly walked away.

It didn't take me long to find a lone homeless person on the beach. I drained him until his heart stopped, checked he didn't have anything worth taking, and threw the body into the sea. I went back to the comic book store and found Edgar eating something. As I watched, he picked a couple of bits out of it and fed it to Zeus and Mars. He looked up and smiled as I approached, then quickly wiped the smile off his face and frowned instead. I smirked. He was so determined not to like me.

"What are you eating?"

"Meatball pasta. Zeus and Mars like the meatballs."

I sniffed. The food smelled delicious. "Did you make that?"

"Yeah. You want some?" Edgar picked up a plastic box from beside the till and passed it to me, along with a fork.

"You made me dinner?" I said in disbelief.

He scowled. "Don't eat it if you don't want it. I wanted a change from takeout food, that's all."

"Oh, I'm gonna eat it. I was just surprised. How do you know how to cook?"

"My mother taught me and Alan when we were young. It comes in handy when you live on your own."

"I suppose." I opened the box, dug a fork into the pasta, and shovelled some into my mouth. Beef, garlic, herbs, and tomatoes exploded on my tongue. "This is amazing."

"Good thing garlic doesn't harm you." Edgar actually laughed. "There's a lot in there."

We fell silent and ate. Edgar gave the dogs his last two meatballs. I ate all mine and put the box and fork back beside the till. "If you feel like you owe me, I'm happy to accept payment in food," I teased.

"I can do that sometimes. Is there anything you don't like?"

I shrugged. "Not that I can think of."

"How come you sent the dogs in here by themselves tonight?"

"I, um, had something to take care of."

"Oh." He paused. "Doesn't it make you feel guilty? Killing people?"

"Used to a long time ago. I had to get over that or suffer."

"Who made you like this? Was it David?"

"Yeah."

"Is he here?"

"No. He's in Texas with Dwayne. Do you know what happened before we left?"

"No, you just disappeared. Sorry, wait." Edgar stood up to deal with a customer. I moved away from the till and sat in my usual spot. When he was free again, he came to me. "Go on."

"Sit down." When he didn't, I grasped his wrist lightly and tugged him closer. He sat down on the bench. I kept a loose grip on his arm, my fingertips resting over his pulse. "We were sleeping—the four of us. The dogs woke us. Did you know Max?"

Edgar shook his head.

"He made David. David made me and Marko within a couple of months of each other. Then Dwayne much later."

"What about Star?"

"She was a mistake. David wanted a companion and he tried a number of women, but none of them would change for him. Star wouldn't either, but eventually she changed for Marko. David decided to try a guy instead and ended up falling head over heels. It was sickening." I laughed at the memory of David and Dwayne fawning over each other.

"You don't like the idea of being with someone like that?"

"Well, I didn't for a long time. Never really appealed." I shot him a quick grin. "People change. Anyway, Max was killed before Dwayne came along. Run in with some other vampires. We were new and young and we didn't protect him. That morning two years ago, Max's maker Vincent came. He wanted to make us pay because Max was gone and we were drawing a lot of attention to ourselves. He killed Marko. The three of us and the dogs got the better of him in the end, but Dwayne almost bought it. We decided it was time to leave after that."

"Why did you come back? Didn't you like Texas?"

"I wanted to see if it was still the same. It's always been my home. I was born here, as a human, I mean. David and Dwayne don't need me right now. It's quiet where they are. There are no hunters and no other vampires."

"So you came back to a place you know there's at least one hunter?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe I wanted to see how he was getting along, too." Edgar's pulse quickened. I stroked my fingers over the vein in his wrist. "I'm sorry about what happened to Alan," I murmured.

"You didn't do it."

"You have to understand that if one of you had staked my lover, if I'd had one, while she or he slept next to me, I'd have done the same thing."

"I know. I get it."

"You still don't want to kill me?"

"No. You're not like them. The redheaded guy and his thugs. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, right?"

"I thought you said we weren't friends," I teased.

His pulse was rapid and a flush touched his cheeks. "I changed my mind."

"Well, that's a good start." I glanced around the store, finding it empty. I slid my hand from Edgar's wrist to his hand and laced our fingers together. His heart thundered in his chest and he gulped. My nostrils flared at the scent of his blood, and my own headed south. I lifted my free hand to grip his chin and turned him to face me. Wide brown eyes met mine and he parted his lips to suck in a breath. I leaned in closer until our noses touched. Edgar's pulse sped up so much it seemed to hum. I closed the remaining small gap and brushed my lips across his, once, twice. He didn't respond, but he didn't pull away either. I drew back. "Don't do this because you think you owe me."

"I'm not." He grinned. "I have meatball pasta for that."

A movement caught the corner of my eye and I released him as a group of kids came into the store. Edgar went back to the till and I found a comic to read, sat down with the dogs, and spent the rest of the evening entertaining myself with vampire stories.

At midnight, I helped Edgar lock up. "Don't you ever take a day off?"

"I used to. The last few months, I've had to open up every day for the money. I should have some breathing space again soon." He pocketed the store keys and pulled out the ones that unlocked his apartment.

I waited until he'd opened up Fort Knox. As tempted as I was to invite myself up again, I decided against it. Let him wonder and decide if he wanted me. "Goodnight, Edgar." I took the dogs back to the RV, let myself in, and closed the door.

When I peeked out the window, he was still standing there, a look of confusion on his face. Then he shook himself, went inside, and slammed the door. Normally, I would have taken the dogs out again and wandered the beach for hours until dawn came, but I didn't bother. I waited, wondering if Edgar would come back out and knock on my door. His light went on and about fifteen minutes later it went off. That was all. He didn't have the guts. Or he didn't want to. Sighing, I resigned myself to more entertainment with my right hand.

Something disturbed me as I slept. It couldn't have been too long past dawn, otherwise I'd have been more difficult to wake, and it couldn't be anything bad because Zeus and Mars were quiet.

"Paul?"

I grunted, my face smothered in the pillow. What the hell did Edgar want? I hated being woken in the day. It hurt and it made it practically impossible for me to keep my fangs retracted. His fucking comics and the books in his apartment didn't teach him anything important—like not to disturb a vampire when it's sleeping unless you want to wind up dead.

"Hey." He touched my shoulder and pulled the blanket off my head.

I hissed. "Whadayawant?"

He snatched his hand back. "Sorry. I wanted to talk to you."

I turned my head away from the pillow, wincing at the light coming in through the open door. "Not now. Christ, Edgar."

"Shit!" He jumped away from me, stumbled, and landed on his ass. Zeus and Mars growled.

Groaning, I forced my fangs to subside. "Boys, stand down." The dogs returned to their bed, calm again. "Edgar. That shit you read will not help you be with me, if that's what you want. Don't ever wake a vampire in the day, unless you're aiming to get yourself bit." My head was pounding and my eyes felt like someone had jabbed red-hot spikes into them.

"I'm sorry!" He was still sitting on the floor. "I didn't think."

"Are you okay?"

"Yes."

"I'll see you later then." I dragged the blanket back over my head and buried my face in the pillow. A moment later I heard the door close as he left. Shit.

When I went to the store at dusk, it was closed with a sign up saying it would be open for business the next day. Cursing, I went to the apartment door and pressed the buzzer. A couple of minutes passed, but he didn't answer. I buzzed again, then backed away and peered up at the window. He was lurking behind the blind with the lights off, looking out, unaware how well I could see in the dark.

I went around the side of the building where his lounge room window was and noticed it was open a crack. I sprang up there, perched on the sill, and opened the window wide. I slipped through silently and went into the kitchen where he was still standing by the window.

"Edgar?"

He spun around, eyes wide, and pressed himself back against the wall. "How did you get in?" he gasped.

"Front window. Do you really think I'd hurt you?"

"I don't know." He glanced at the counter beside him, where a stake rested.

"Fuck. I'm sorry about this morning." I took a step towards him. His heart raced and his hands trembled, before he clenched them into fists. "I won't hurt you. Listen to me. If you wake a vampire during the day, its first instinct is to defend itself. Plus the light is painful. My eyes and my head were burning. I'm sorry I scared you."

"I'm sorry." Edgar's shoulders slumped and he hung his head. "I shouldn't have come in. I should have knocked."

"What did you want?"

"It doesn't matter now. I don't want this, whatever it is, with you. We're supposed to be enemies. This morning just proved that. That could easily happen at night too, if I pissed you off."

Shit. My spirits sank, shocking me by how disappointed I was. How could I change his mind? "That wouldn't happen," I said.

"How can you say that? People annoy each other all the time."

"I didn't mean that. I meant I don't kill people just because they annoy me. I would never hurt you for that reason. Or any other. I kill when I need to feed, or if I'm under threat. That's it. I like you, okay?"

"Even though I'm pretty much always bad-tempered and shitty with you?"

I grinned. "You're not as bad as you used to be." I moved closer, longing to touch him. "Tell me one thing. What did you want to say to me this morning?"

He licked his lips. "Just that I, um, I was gonna—" He broke off and sighed, shaking his head. "It's impossible though."

"No, it isn't." If I still had a heartbeat, it would have been hammering by now. I reached for him, rested my hands on the sides of his neck, and used my thumbs to tilt his head back. He lifted his hands and I waited to see if he would push me away, but he laid them on my chest. I lowered my head and brought our lips together. His were warm and soft, and they parted in response this time. I caressed them with mine and ran my tongue along the lower one. He tasted so good. I forced my fangs to stay hidden, and slid my tongue into his mouth with a groan. I pressed closer, letting him feel what he was doing to me. He was hard too, and the scent of his arousal made me realise this was going to be a lot more difficult for me than I'd anticipated.

I'd fucked a lot of people since I was changed, but always with the intention of feeding from them at the same time, or afterwards, so it didn't matter whether I could control myself or not. Now it mattered, and stopping myself from doing what came naturally was going to be a real test. I broke the kiss, worried I would unintentionally bite his tongue or his lip. If I could keep my mouth off him this one time, hopefully it would get easier.

"Where's your bedroom?" I whispered. A process of elimination told me it was the door opposite the kitchen, but I wanted to give him the opportunity to slow things down, if he wanted.

"The door opposite." He pulled away from me and led the way. I followed, hoping I wasn't about to do something I'd sincerely regret.


	5. Chapter 5

As soon as Edgar opened the door to his bedroom, a waft of _something_ hit me like a brick wall. I backed away, gasping, and looked over his shoulder. The room was dark, but I could see well enough to make out an enormous cross positioned above the head of the bed, and several smaller ones standing on various surfaces, along with rosary beads hanging here and there. I didn't spend any more time looking to see what else there was. I backed away, fangs extended.

"Oh, hell no!"

"Paul?" Edgar spun around, eyes wide.

"Close the door," I hissed.

"What? Why?" It dawned on him. "Oh shit!" He slammed the door. "Fuck, I'm sorry. I didn't think. I thought it might keep me alive while I sleep. I mean, before you came." He laughed nervously.

I gulped and forced my fangs to retract. "At least you know it works, right?"

"I'm sorry," he repeated.

"Yeah." My arousal had vanished. Even the smell of his blood didn't do it for me at that moment. I'd never felt less like getting it on in my life. "Let's pick this up another time." I licked my lips. "My place. Do you wear any of that shit?" I remembered touching his neck when I'd seen his tattoo and hadn't noticed a chain. If he'd had a crucifix around his neck it would have burnt my fingers.

"Sometimes. Not so much since you've been around. I won't, though. I'm sorry," he said again.

"It's okay. I get it. I just didn't expect it." I went to him and brushed a light kiss over his lips. Then I fled.

I didn't go back to the RV right away. I headed for the beach and found a couple of bikers having a beer and weed party. I wasn't in the mood to be subtle, and the two guys didn't know what hit them. I tore them to pieces, fed greedily, and threw the remains in the sea. The tide would come in again before morning and wash away the blood. I took possession of their bike and rode for a couple of hours. I'd missed having a bike and I enjoyed the roar of the engine, the wind in my hair, and the speed. I parked it behind the RV when I returned, then took the dogs for a quick run before dawn.

When I woke again, the horror of Edgar's bedroom was a distant memory and all I could think of was that he was probably upset and thought I would avoid him. I fed Zeus and Mars, then took them to the store.

Edgar was putting new stock on the shelves. No customers were in sight. I walked up behind him, wrapped both arms around him, and kissed his cheek. "Hey."

"Hey." He put down the comic in his hand and gripped my arms, holding them in place. "I'm sorry about last night."

"Forget about it." I nibbled his ear, the scent of his blood and the sound of his heartbeat ramping up my excitement. He flinched and I kissed his ear instead. "Don't freak, my fangs aren't out."

"Sorry."

"Stop saying sorry to me. This is new. I get that you're still nervous."

Edgar huffed. "I doubt I'd relax much more if you were human."

"Yeah, you're not used to being touched, are you?" I kissed his temple. "Have you done anything?"

He flushed. "No. One kiss, that's all. He wasn't into it."

"Who was that?" I let him go picked up the comic he'd put down. It was about werewolves and I decided to give it a go.

"My best friend," Edgar said.

"Sam Emerson?"

"Uh huh."

"I thought he was—" I snorted. "Never mind."

"Yeah, I did too." He grinned. "So, if you want someone who knows what they're doing, you're really gonna be disappointed."

"I'm not disappointed." I dropped my voice to a whisper and pressed my lips to his ear again. "I like that I'm the first with _everything._" I left him and went to sit in my usual place. He reddened more, finishing stacking the comics with shaking hands. His blood raced in his veins, and his breathing had quickened.

I tried to read the werewolf comic, but I couldn't keep my eyes off Edgar. Even when he calmed down, I could hear every breath, every heartbeat, and I focused on every move he made. I wanted to touch him so badly I could barely stand to sit there and look at him. My dick strained against my pants as I imagined how his skin would feel. When I'd ran my fingers down his back, tracing the swirls of his tattoo, I could have come in my pants if I'd done it for more than a couple of seconds.

My fangs extended and I pressed my lips together to hide them. I was in trouble. What was it about him that did this to me? For the first time in my life I was so hung up on someone, I couldn't even consider fucking someone else, not even for the relief. I couldn't wait for the evening to be over so we could pick up where we left off outside his freaky holy bedroom.

As I sat there thinking, I found myself wondering what would happen if I accidentally bit him. If my fangs were out and just grazed him, would I change him without meaning to? It occurred to me that I didn't know as much as I should about what I was. It had been a few years, and I drifted through each day oblivious, but it had never mattered before. I'd known that everyone I fucked would wind up dead. Now it mattered, and I could be putting Edgar in danger without meaning to or wanting to. That thought horrified me and I knew I needed to get some answers before I touched him.

I left the dogs in the store and went to look for a payphone. The store had a phone, but I didn't want this conversation to be overheard. I called the gas station ten miles from the ranch and left a message for David, hoping it wouldn't be too long before he stopped in. When I left, he'd told me he or Dwayne would stop by every couple of days to see if there was a message.

Much to my surprise, Dwayne came on the phone within minutes. "Paul?"

"Yeah."

"You psychic? I'm here filling up the truck."

"Must be. Is David there?"

"No, do you want me to go get him?"

"No, I'd rather speak to you." Dwayne wouldn't ask questions like David would. At least I hoped he wouldn't. "I need some advice. Can you talk?"

"Yeah, the old guy's on his own tonight. He's outside filling a couple of trucks. Are you okay?"

"Yes. I want to ask you something. When you met David, did he bite you before you changed?"

"What the hell?" I could imagine Dwayne's startled expression.

"Did he?"

"Yes."

"Was it when you were fucking?"

"Yes. Why are you asking me this? Did you meet someone?"

"No." Technically I hadn't—I already knew Edgar. "I just want to know, if I'm fucking and I bite, will I change them if I don't kill them?"

"I've never known you do one without the other, Paul." Dwayne laughed. Damn it. I'd thought he wouldn't ask questions.

"It's hypothetical."

"Right." He chuckled again.

"I don't really need to feed every time I fuck, you know that. So? Was drinking David's blood what started your change? Not his bite?"

"Yeah. He could have changed me with a bite, but he'd have to want to. We can all do it. It doesn't have to be a head vampire like it does if they just drink the blood. But you have to actively want the bite to change them. David told me about it once. If you bite when you're fucking, and it's not that hard, it won't do any damage. You must be careful on a human that you don't hit the jugular. If you want to change them, you have to bite hard, punch your fangs right in, whether it's their neck, or their wrist, or whatever. The pressure pushes your venom out, which is what starts the process. They still have to make a kill to complete it. How don't you know this? Didn't you ask any questions when David changed you?"

"I guess not. And he did it with the bottle of blood, same way he did you and Marko. I didn't think about it then."

"So why now? Are you sure you didn't meet someone?"

"Yeah, I've just been reading some stuff. The shit you find in books is unbelievable."

"I guess the authors don't think there's any way of doing proper research." Dwayne laughed. "Is that all you wanted to know?"

"Yeah."

"So, how's Santa Carla?"

"Pretty much the same."

"Have you been to our old home?"

"No, I'm living in the RV."

"Is Edgar Frog still there?"

"Yeah. He's still just as easy to wind up. There's a bunch of three vampires here—a redheaded guy and two musclemen." I was relieved when Dwayne asked about them and didn't mention Edgar again, or my sudden interest in how not to change a human. When I ended the call, I promised to keep in touch, then went back to the store.

Edgar didn't question where I'd been, probably assuming I'd been hunting. He had a few customers, and I sat down with the dogs again and left him alone. I stared at the same page of the werewolf comic for an hour, struggling to fight my arousal as I listened to Edgar's heartbeat and smelled his blood. I imagined one scenario after another—touching him all over, tasting his skin, tasting his blood, fucking him. My dick throbbed and eventually I was forced to slip back to the RV and jerk off. If I didn't, I'd probably lose control of myself, tear his clothes off and fuck him hard. I had to remind myself he hadn't done anything before and all I'd succeed in doing would be scaring and hurting him.

I cleaned myself up and grabbed some food on the way back to the store. As far as I knew, Edgar hadn't eaten, and it would give me something to do. I picked up some steak sandwiches and we ate together in between customers. Even watching him eat drove me crazy. He licked his lips every so often, making me want to feel his tongue on my body. When he finished eating, he licked his fingers, one at a time. He stuck his thumb right in his mouth, and I imagined his lips stretched around my erection.

I stared so hard he sensed it, and his face and neck turned red. I took Zeus for a walk, leaving Mars to guard Edgar, then switched and took Mars out. The evening dragged, the hands on the clock above the till crawling around so slowly I wondered if the clock had stopped.

Finally, midnight came, and Edgar closed the store. His hands shook as he locked up, and I could smell his arousal. When I glanced down it was obvious. He always wore loose-fitting pants that couldn't hide it.

I unlocked the RV, wondering if he would make an excuse to go back to the apartment, but he followed me inside, his heart thumping wildly, wiping sweaty palms on his army pants. I closed the door and sent the dogs to their bed.

Edgar hovered nervously, watching every move I made. He looked up as I walked towards him, meeting my eyes, then looking away. I rested my hands on his waist and felt him trembling. I reminded myself to put him first and set my own desires aside. This wasn't a situation I'd ever been in either and if I messed up, I'd just push him away. For some reason, that idea was completely unacceptable to me. For someone who hated the idea of getting close to anyone, I'd sure changed my mind now. I was determined to make sure I never did anything to drive him away.


	6. Chapter 6

Edgar tilted his head back to look at me, and I lowered my head to kiss him. His lips parted in response and he moaned as I slid my tongue into his mouth. My dick ached, straining against my tight pants, and I forced myself to ignore it. Instead I concentrated on keeping my fangs hidden and savouring every moment of the kiss. He tasted so good. I didn't usually like kissing—it was too easy to rip a person's mouth to pieces when you didn't bother about controlling your impulses. Besides, my endless string of fucks never meant anything to me, so I hadn't been that keen to kiss them. But I wanted to go on kissing Edgar all night. I slid my arms around him and held him tight against me, thrilled by the feel of his arousal against my thigh. He held onto me, gripping my shoulders and kissing me back with equal fervour. His pulse raced and eventually he pulled his head back, gasping for breath.

I slid my hand down his back to his ass, squeezing the firm flesh through his pants. He groaned and pressed his face into my neck. _Go slow_, I reminded myself.

I pulled the bandana off his head and ran my fingers through his hair, breathing in the scent of his shampoo and _him._ "Can I touch you?" I murmured.

"Yes."

"Come and lie down." I led him to my bed and kicked off my boots. He stooped to untie his own boots, toed them off, and sat on the bed, then shuffled into the middle of it and lay down. His eyes were dark with desire, but he continued to shiver with anxiety. I stretched out beside him and rested my hand on his chest over his heart, feeling the vibration in my fingers as I heard it in my ears. "Relax."

He smiled nervously. "What was your first time like?"

"Well, it was with a girl, so it was different. I was still human, she was older than me, and she made me feel like I was useless. I came in about three seconds."

Edgar laughed. "I'll probably do that."

"Don't think about it. Just go with it. We have plenty of time. But if you want me to stop, let me know."

"I never expected you to be like this," he said. "I thought you'd just take what you want."

"Usually I do. This is different." I leaned in and pressed my lips to his. His eyes closed and he slid his arms around my neck. As we kissed, I deftly unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it open. I stroked his chest, humming into the kiss at the feel of warm, smooth flesh, firm nipples, goose bumps on his skin, and the rapid thump of his heart. I broke the kiss and bent to explore his chest with my lips. The first taste made my head spin, and my dick leaked into my pants. "Fuck, you taste so good," I groaned. I ran my hands over his upper body, licking and kissing my way down the centre of his chest, then over to one nipple. I sucked it into my mouth and nipped gently with my teeth, keeping my fangs hidden with difficulty.

Edgar flinched and writhed at the same time, pressing his lower body against my leg. He curled his fingers into my hair and held on. He moaned as I moved lower, swirling my tongue over his belly. I unfastened his pants and ran my palm over the ridge of his erection where it throbbed inside his underwear.

"Paul. Oh, God." He gyrated his hips, trying to give himself more friction. I took my hand off and he moaned in frustration, making me chuckle.

I sat up, grasped the top of his pants and his underwear together, and tugged them down. He lifted his ass up and in seconds, he was naked from the waist down apart from his socks. His erection slapped against his belly, the tip red and leaking. I took a moment to feast on him with my eyes—firm thighs slightly parted, dusted with light brown hair, a neatly trimmed patch of pubic hair around the root of his dick. He was cut, like me, and his balls were softly furred and tight against his body. He flushed under my stare and turned his face away.

"You are fucking gorgeous," I whispered. "Sit up."

He pushed himself up and I took his shirt off, then his socks. He lay down again, and I started from his feet, stroking my way up his legs until I reached his thighs. The muscles quivered under my touch and his dick jumped. My mouth watered and my fangs began to emerge. I forced them down and continued exploring with only my fingertips, tracing patterns over Edgar's thighs, hips, stomach, purposefully ignoring his erection. It twitched and leaked as I reached his chest and made my way down again, stopping within an inch of it.

"Please," he whimpered.

"You want this?" I ran my thumb over his tip, making him shudder.

"Yes."

"This?" I bent and ran my tongue up his length, from his balls to the crown, then swirled it around and teased the slit.

"Fuck!" He came, narrowly missing my face, his load spattering his chest. "Shit. Sorry," he panted.

I chuckled and bent lower, catching each small white puddle with my tongue. I almost came in my pants at the taste. God, I was in trouble. I couldn't get enough, and I knew that wasn't going to change. I was hooked.

I pulled away and undressed, dumping my clothes in a pile next to the bed. My erection sprang free of my pants and I sighed with relief. Edgar's gaze darted straight to it, then lifted to my face. He looked both excited and anxious. I lay back down and took his hand in mine, then placed it on my chest. I didn't say anything, just left his hand there and rested mine lightly on his hip. He stroked my chest, exploring every inch, his hand warm and firm. I closed my eyes and tipped my head back, away from him, as my fangs grew. He moved his hand lower over my abs and my erection strained upwards, desperate for his touch. I thought he'd avoid it for a while longer, but suddenly he wrapped his hand around it and gave it a firm squeeze.

"Shit!" My eyes flew open and my fangs punctured my lower lip. Edgar looked up and flinched. "It's okay. You're safe."

He ran his hand up and down my length, then gripped tighter and tugged firmly, rubbing his thumb over the tip and twisting his wrist on each upstroke. I came with a growl, spilling over his fingers and onto my stomach.

Edgar laughed. "Yeah, longer than three seconds, but not much." He leaned in to kiss me, then stopped a couple of inches away.

My fangs were still out, and my bleeding lip hadn't fully healed yet. I pulled him closer to me and tucked his face into my neck instead. "I'm okay," I said again. "It's difficult to control when you smell so good, and when I come, but I won't bite."

Edgar kissed my neck and slid his arm around me. His dick was half hard again, nudging my thigh. "Can this really work?"

"It depends on you. I know it can."

"What if you bite me by mistake? I don't want to be a vampire."

"I know that. It won't happen. Listen to me." I pushed him back a little so I could meet his eyes. My fangs had subsided, and my lip had stopped bleeding. "There's two ways you can be changed. One—"

"Drinking a vampire's blood. I know."

"It has to be a head vampire. If you kissed me when my lip was bleeding, that wouldn't do it. David changed me, Dwayne, and Marko the same way. We all drank his blood."

Edgar gulped.

"Yeah, I know, it probably sounds disgusting to you. The other way is from a bite, but a vampire has to intend to change its victim. I can't change you from an accidental nip. Didn't you read that in any of your books?" I grinned to show I was teasing.

"They just say if you get bit, it changes you."

"I suppose that's what they would say. The people who write that shit don't actually know any vampires. We should write a manual."

"So, you could bite me, and I'd be okay?"

"Yeah."

"Do you want to?"

"Yes, I want to, Edgar. I want to taste your blood so bad it almost kills me not doing so. I can smell it pumping through your veins and it drives me crazy. But I'm not going to. I don't want you to be scared of me or hate me."

"I'm not. I don't. I just wondered about it."

I leaned closer again and pressed my lips to his. "You can ask me anything you want, any time. If you learn about what we're really like, you'll be better equipped to protect yourself from others."

"Yeah, that'd be good."

"After we left, were there any more? Before the three idiots hanging around now?" I asked.

"There was only one, about a year ago."

"Did you kill him?"

Edgar licked his lips nervously.

"You can tell me. It wasn't anyone I care about, so it doesn't matter."

"Yeah. I got lucky. You already found out I don't know half as much as I should. He'd been hanging around, killing without being discreet about it. He followed me to my apartment from the store and got in the through the window."

"You really shouldn't leave that open. You never know what's going to get in."

Edgar smiled. "I was making some fro— um, a drink. I threw it in his face and while he was screaming and clawing at his eyes, I staked him."

"A _drink_? What the hell was in it?"

"Garlic, raw egg, and holy water. Alan and I used to call it frog juice."

I snorted. "Do you still drink that?"

"Nah. The holy water was the only useful part." He sniggered. "I just keep bottles of it around the place."

"You're crazy, you know that?"

"Yeah, I must be. I'm in bed with a vampire."

We laughed together, then fell silent and just lay in each other's arms. I could only describe it as cuddling. Something else I'd never done before, and I loved it. I could feel his heartbeat against my chest, hear it too, along with his breathing. My dick had only half softened and we both quickly grew fully hard again. I reminded myself to take things slow, and rather than try and fuck him, I slid my hand between us and stroked us together. His leaking fluid slicked the way between us, and I rubbed his dick against mine, bringing us off together while I breathed in the scent of him, fangs an inch away from his ear. My ability to control myself surprised and impressed me, and I began to think we could be together without me ever hurting him, even by accident.

As Edgar lay panting in the aftermath, I slid down the bed and cleaned him up with my tongue. The taste of him was tantalising, although not so good mixed with my own. He was drowsy, barely able to keep his eyes open, and I slid my arms around him, resting my chin on top of his head as he snuggled closer and drifted into sleep.

The night passed much too quickly for my liking. Edgar slept in my arms and I didn't move a muscle for over four hours, simply listening to him sleep and thinking ridiculous sappy thoughts, like how lucky I was, how good he tasted, how amazing having sex with him was, even thought we hadn't done much other than jerk off. I could only imagine how incredible being inside him would be and I couldn't wait to try it.

My erection throbbed painfully, but I didn't want to either jerk off, or slip away from him for fear of disturbing him. So I lay still, aching, and waiting for him to stir or for the sun to rise, whichever happened first.


	7. Chapter 7

Edgar began to stir when it was still dark. He snorted softly in his sleep and slid his leg across me, his erection nudging my thigh. I sucked in a needless breath and rubbed the heel of my hand over my dick. My hand came away wet and I couldn't suppress a groan. Edgar stirred and opened his eyes.

"Hey." I turned to face him, dislodging his leg, then pulled him more firmly against me. "I could get used to this."

Edgar grinned. "Did you sleep?"

"No. I can only sleep during the day."

"So, you just lay there watching me sleep? That's weird. And boring."

"Weird maybe. Boring, definitely not." I kissed his lips softly. His chin was rough with stubble and it made me smile. One good thing about being a vampire was that I never had to shave. It simply didn't grow any more.

"I should go. Before—" Edgar turned his head to search for a window, but the black glass didn't let in any light.

"It won't be light for a half hour." I pointed at the clock next to the bed.

"Well, I have some stuff to do."

"At six in the morning?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, us humans still have the inconvenience of having to use the bathroom." He made a face and reached for his underwear. "Then again, you eat and drink normally sometimes, so—"

I smirked. "Yeah, but we work differently from humans. Every little bit of anything we eat and drink is absorbed by our bodies. No bathroom required."

Edgar rolled his eyes. "I don't suppose you ever get fat either."

"No. If you ever see a fat vampire, he was fat before he was changed."

"So, you stay the same as you were when you were changed?"

"Yeah. We never get sick, we never age, we never die. And we don't physically alter from how we were when we stepped into this life." I touched his face. "You have to shave. I never will again, because I was clean shaven when it happened."

"That's insane." Edgar got up and finished dressing. "This whole thing is insane." He smiled to show me that wasn't a bad thing. Then he leaned down and gave me a somewhat hesitant kiss before he left to go back to his apartment.

Alone, I jerked off again before I fell asleep. When I woke, Zeus and Mars were looming over me and snuffling at my face, impatient to be let out. The clock told me eleven hours had passed and it was dusk again. I let the dogs out to do their business, fed them, and took them to the store.

Edgar's face lit up when he saw me, before he schooled it into a neutral expression. I laughed to myself, took a quick look around to make sure we had no audience, then tugged him into my arms and kissed him. He tasted of something meaty and spicy. "Hm, what have you been eating?"

"Chilli." He pulled away and indicated an unopened plastic box of food beside the till. "You want some? I figured you'd like it if you like tacos."

"Thanks!" I dug into the chilli while Edgar petted the dogs.

"Is that your motorcycle in the yard?" he asked. "I haven't seen it before."

"Uh, yeah. I, um, picked it up yesterday." I hoped he wouldn't ask too many questions about where I got it from.

"You and the others always rode bikes," he remembered. "I always wanted one, but never had the money."

"I can take you out on mine if you want. It's great fun." Immediately my mind swept me into a fantasy of riding the bike with Edgar behind me, his body pressed up against my back, arms tight around me, warm breath on my neck as we raced along the beach.

"That'd be great." Edgar beamed. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"How old are you? I mean—"

"You think I'm a hundred and fifty or something?" I grinned. "Looking like this?" I indicated my long blond hair, pierced ear, leathers and chains.

"No, maybe a hundred," he teased.

"I'm twenty-two. Or I was when I was changed, which was, um, four, nearly five years ago. I'll always be twenty-two now. We're all young. David was only twenty-four when Max changed him."

Edgar nodded, then stiffened as Redhead and his two thugs appeared, unusually for them in the middle of the week. Zeus and Mars jumped up, growling, and I put down the remains of the chilli and stood too. Much to my surprise, Edgar's eyes narrowed, and he curled his lip as he pulled something out of his pocket. Stepping between the dogs, he marched towards Redhead, bold and angry.

"Get out of here, you scum!" he growled. "You think I'm gonna put up with any more shit from you? I've had it! You can't touch me or my business. Fucking leeches!" He tossed the item in his right hand into Redhead's face. The soft rubber bag burst, spraying its contents all over his head and shoulders. He fell backwards with a roar, clawing at his face and writhing on the ground as a cloud of steam rose from him.

Edgar delved into his pocket again and pulled out another of his weapons. He took aim at one of the blond thugs as they moved towards him and threw it right before Zeus sprang. Dog and water bomb hit the thug together, knocking him to the ground in a screaming, hissing frenzy. Redhead scrambled up, his face burned so badly in places that his muscles and teeth were visible through his cheek. One eye was completely white in its socket. Staggering and howling, he made his way out of the store, followed by the others. The uninjured one clearly had no intention of trying his luck.

"What the fuck?" I gaped at Edgar. "What the hell was that?"

"Holy water."

"In balloons?"

"Well, they were condoms, but yeah."

I laughed. "Seriously?"

"Why not? You never know when you might need a condom. They make pretty good weapons." His heart was racing, but with adrenaline rather than fear.

"Why didn't you do this before when those guys threatened you?" I asked.

"I was unprepared the first time. Then I was too scared." He shrugged and shook his head. "Whoever heard of a vampire killer who was too scared to do his job?"

"You made up for it tonight."

"It was because of you, and these guys." Edgar patted Zeus and held out his other hand to Mars, who licked his fingers. "I feel safe with you around."

_We're always gonna be around._ I didn't say it out loud, which was probably a good thing. It was too soon for me to be making declarations like that. What the hell had happened to the Paul who fucked and killed without a care in the world, then moved onto the next?

"It was lucky you didn't have any customers," I said instead.

"Yeah, that would have scared them away." Edgar grinned. "Or they might have just thought it was a really clever publicity stunt."

The next few days, including the weekend, passed by without any more drama. Sometimes Edgar slept with me in the RV, sometimes he went back to his apartment. We kissed and jerked off, and he even sucked me on one occasion, which had me lasting all of three seconds again. I longed to do that for him, but I didn't dare. Keeping my fangs back with his dick in my mouth would have been too much to ask.

When Edgar finally took a day off, I decided to do something fun with him. We couldn't do anything during the day, and he was left to his own devices, but I planned to do something in the evening and surprise him. As soon as dusk fell, I took care of the dogs, then went to his apartment. After I pressed the buzzer, I counted off the minutes while I listened to him thundering down the stairs, then dealing with the locks and chains.

"Hey." He rested a hand on my chest and tilted his head back to kiss me. He was much more confident about touching me than he had been a few days earlier.

I slid my arm around him and kissed him thoroughly, then drew back. "Hey."

"Do you want to come in?"

"No, we're going out. Put this on." I passed him the spare leather jacket I held under my arm.

"Okay." He put on the jacket and locked the apartment again. "Where are we going?"

"For a ride." I led him over to the bike. "You wanted to try it, right?"

"Hell, yes!"

I got on the bike and waited for him to climb on behind me. "Hold on tight."

Edgar wrapped his arms around my waist and pressed himself against my back, exactly how I'd imagined. His heart thumped against me and the heat of his thighs warmed the backs of mine. He tucked his face into my hair and slid one hand inside my jacket.

I started the bike and rode steadily out of town. Once on the coast road, I twisted the throttle and put the bike through its paces. The single headlight lit the way on the deserted road, and Edgar clung on, moulded to me as we raced along. When lights appeared out of the darkness, I slowed down and steered the bike into the parking lot of a small restaurant. So, I was a complete sap. I was taking him on a dinner date like a proper boyfriend and I didn't give a shit so long as he liked it.

He climbed off the bike and ran a hand through his hair. "Wow, that was awesome."

"I'll teach you to ride some day if you want," I offered.

"Cool. What are we doing here?"

"Having dinner. You hungry?"

He grinned. "You're taking me out for dinner?"

"Sure. There's a first time for everything."

"Yeah, for both of us. Do you know when I last went to a restaurant?"

I shook my head.

"I was ten. Alan was eleven. It was our mother's birthday and dad took us all out for dinner, to some fancy stuck-up restaurant. Alan dressed up and played the part, but I hated it. I ruined the night for everyone, refusing to wear anything smart, and leaving my manners at home. My dad took his belt to me when we got back to the house."

"I'm sorry." I pulled him against me and gave him a hug.

"It was a long time ago."

"Want to know what I'm gonna do when we get home?" I whispered in his ear.

"You know if you tell me, I'll be thinking about it all through dinner." He laughed softly.

I circled his ear with my tongue, making him shiver. "I'm gonna do this, all over your body."

"Fuck." Edgar pushed me away. "You're a tease."

"I'm also hard. You can think about that all through dinner as well."

The restaurant was a typical seafood and steak grill, with plenty of options. We both chose steak and shrimp combos, and I ordered alcohol-free beer.

"Seriously?" Edgar raised an eyebrow.

"You're underage," I reminded him.

"Since when did you care about something like that?"

I grinned. "Do you have fake ID? Because I don't have any at all."

"Fair point. I don't want to get drunk anyway. Imagine what I'd miss later." The teasing little bastard slid his hand under the table and gave my thigh a quick squeeze. I hissed through my teeth and swatted his hand away.

We finished the meal with chocolate brownies and ice cream. Edgar took the opportunity to torment me by licking his spoon in such a way that I imagined it was my dick. Luckily, the restaurant was quiet, and no one paid any attention to our antics. Other diners wouldn't have wanted to see two guys behaving like they were on a date.

I paid the bill and we rode home on the bike, slower than on the way out. I pushed Edgar's hand lower to cup my erection through my jeans, encouraging him to stroke me until his touch and the vibration of the bike almost made me come in my pants. By the time we arrived at the store, I couldn't wait to get my clothes off.

Clouds of smoke rose from behind the store and I braked in alarm before turning into the yard. As I realised the RV was on fire, horror doused my excitement. I pulled free of Edgar and sprang off the bike. My home was ablaze, already virtually incinerated. There was no point calling the fire service, it was already too late. The RV was far enough from the store and apartment for it not to spread.

"Fuck." I stared at the remains of my few belongings, then sank to my knees as I remembered the most precious thing that had been in there. "The dogs."

For the first time as a vampire, I cried. I hadn't known whether I could cry until I felt tears tracking down my cheeks. I crouched in the dirt, sobbing, trying not to imagine my beloved pups struggling to get out, choking on the smoke, burning. I howled, and Edgar dropped to his knees, wrapping his arms around me.

"God, Paul, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry," he said over and over.

My pain was agonising, and I couldn't find the strength to get up. The more I cried, the more my stupid imagination elaborated, until I was thinking about how I'd feel if I lost Edgar. I clung to him, soaking him with my tears. He held me until I got it together enough to stand up.

"It has to have been those vampires," he said. "I don't have any other enemies."

"I don't either." I shook my head.

Edgar scowled. "All I did last week was make them mad. I should have finished the job. This time, they're gonna die. We need to find out where they're nesting, then I'll kill them all."

"You can't do this on your own," I protested. "There are three of them."

"I can. They won't know what's hit them. I'll hit them in the day when they're sleeping."

"I don't like the idea of you doing this alone. If I lost you—"

"You won't," he growled. "Those suckers are going to pay."


	8. Chapter 8

I couldn't tear myself away from the burning RV. Most of it had collapsed into a smouldering heap as a light rain began to fall, and the droplets washed away a fresh bucketload of my tears.

"Come on, Paul, let's go inside." Edgar tugged at my hand. A wet tongue swiped across my free hand and a cold nose shoved into my palm. I looked down in shock, struggling to register what was happening. Then I dropped to my knees again. Anxious canine whimpers filled my ears as both Zeus and Mars pounced on me, their whole bodies wagging in delight. They jumped all over me, licking and wriggling, as I tried to hold onto them and hug them.

"My boys. They got out," I cried. "Thank fuck."

"Are they hurt at all?" Edgar grabbed Zeus by the collar. "Let's get them inside and check them over."

Minutes later we were in Edgar's apartment, examining the dogs in the kitchen. Other than some sore singed patches on their paws, they seemed unharmed and eager to tuck into a bowl of chicken Edgar had in the refrigerator. While I took a shower, Edgar cleared his bedroom of religious paraphernalia and took it down to the store, where he stashed it in the storage room at the back.

With the dogs safe and my despair gone, fury took over. I paced around, wearing a pair of Edgar's underwear while my clothes took a turn in the washing machine, impatient to rush out there and hunt down Redhead and his minions.

"Even if we knew where they were, you can't just chase them down like this," Edgar said sensibly. "Three of them, alert and pissed off, would have a good chance against you. When they're sleeping, they'll be no match for what I have in mind."

"Edgar, if you remember, when Alan staked Star, the rest of us were instantly awake and coming after you," I gritted out. "Well, I missed most of it, but still. I can't let you do this on your own."

"Well, I'm not letting you go out there now, too angry to think straight. You'll get yourself killed." Edgar glared back. "Come to bed."

"I'm not in the mood," I growled.

"Well, I'm going to bed. You do what you like." He stripped down to his underwear, climbed into the bed, and called to the dogs. They sprang onto the bed and curled up next to him.

I continued to seethe, imagining various scenarios where I ripped Redhead's body to pieces, and tore the heads from the shoulders of the blond thugs, lit them on fire, let the dogs tear them apart and eat bits of them, staked them or threw holy water at them. No, fuck that. Knowing my luck, I'd probably burn myself with the water. But eventually, my attention kept going back to Edgar, curled up in bed with the dogs either side of him, and I realised how lucky I was. My hounds of hell weren't dead, and I had Edgar—a human who would put himself at risk to do this for me.

I shook off my mood and slid into the bed, pushing Zeus out of the way so I could get close to Edgar. "This is the only time you boys are sleeping on the bed," I said firmly. "As soon as I get a new bed for you, you're in the kitchen."

"You okay?" Edgar asked.

"No, but better than I was." I slid my arms around him. "I'm sorry. I just want to kill them."

"I know. So do I, and we will." He pressed close to me and kissed my neck. "Thank you for dinner."

"Thank you for being here."

Edgar and the dogs slept, and I lay still, thinking. Edgar was right. I couldn't go chasing down the three vampires at night. I'd be lucky to get one of them before the other two were on me, if I could even find them. They could be in our old cavern, but if not, they could be anywhere.

I wandered around town in my head, trying to envisage other places vampires might nest. We liked placed with a history of death and suffering. There had to be other places like that. I thought of a couple of other locations—a tunnel and various caves under a deserted section of railway might be an ideal spot for them. The reason that section was deserted, was that there had been a serious derailing years back, killing over a hundred people. The rail had been tampered with and after the disaster it was never fixed, just abandoned.

Eventually, a faint light began to show around the drapes covering the window, and I pulled the blanket over my head. Edgar's room wouldn't be as dark as the RV.

Edgar woke and got up quickly. I listened to him moving around and hammering, and when I risked a peek, realised he had nailed a blanket over the window and completely blocked out the light.

"I'll close the door when I go out," he said. "No light should get in here. I'll take the dogs for a walk, then they can come to the store with me."

"Huh." The sleep of the dead was already creeping up on me, and I couldn't manage to answer properly. I slipped away, trusting Edgar to do as he said. When I woke, I would tell him of my plans for the vampires.

At dusk, I opened my eyes and threw back the blanket. My clothes were clean, dry, and folded on a chair beside the bed. A couple of new T-shirts and a pair of leather pants had appeared, along with some socks. When I explored further, I found a dog bed, a couple of chew toys, a sack of dog food and some food and water bowls in the kitchen. I smiled as I imagined Edgar doing all this for me and the boys while I slept.

"Shit!" I remembered my money stash in the RV. There had been a lot left after I gave Edgar the money to save the store. I dressed quickly, let myself out, and went to search the pile of ashes in the yard. The tin had been metal, and much to my relief, it had survived although it was covered in soot. The money inside was still safe. I discarded the tin, took the rest of the money back to the apartment, and placed it in a drawer in the bedroom. Then I went out again to find Edgar.

Zeus and Mars greeted me as I walked into the store. Edgar had two customers. I left him to deal with them and petted the dogs until the two teenagers had bought what they wanted and left. Then a quick glance around showed me no one else was in sight. I grabbed Edgar in a hug and kissed his neck. The smell of his blood made my nostrils flare.

"Thanks for getting those things for the dogs. I'll pay you back."

"You'll do no such thing." Edgar smiled as I let him go. "They're my protectors now has much as yours."

"Well, thanks." I took a closer look at him and noticed a deep scratch on his neck. He held his right arm awkwardly too, as if it hurt. "What happened?"

"Um, nothing much."

"What did you do?" Suddenly I had an awful feeling that he'd gone after those vampires on his own.

"Don't freak, okay?"

"I'm already freaking. Edgar, what have you done?" I gripped him firmly by the shoulders, then let him go when he flinched. "You're hurt. Damn it. You went to find them, didn't you?" I started to unfasten his shirt, dreading what I'd find underneath.

"Stop, I'm fine." He pushed me off, but not before I noticed a bandage around his shoulder and upper arm. "I went after them. They were in the tunnel under the old railway."

I nodded, amazed and relieved that he was still alive. "Please tell me none of them bit you."

"You think I'd be this relaxed if that happened?" He checked the store to make sure no one else had come in. "I went as soon as it was properly light. I tried there first because I thought they might not nest in a place others had been, like your old lair. I was right."

"Fuck," I muttered. "You went after three of them on your own."

"Yeah, I'm a vampire killer, right?" He actually grinned. "Look, it wasn't as bad as you're thinking. The leader is still alive and I'm guessing he'll be coming for me later. But you and the dogs are here. Besides, I'm armed."

"So, what happened?"

"I took holy water, gasoline, stakes, you name it. When I found them, I dowsed the entire area in gas and lit it. They burnt your home, I burnt them. While they were jumping around and screaming, I added some holy water to the mix. Redhead got away with just a few singes, but the other two went up in flames and exploded. By the time he caught up to me, I'd got to an area where the sun was coming in. He burnt his hands trying to grab me."

"Fuck, you're insane," I muttered. "You could have got yourself killed. Or changed."

"Well, I didn't," he said smugly. "Unless Redhead makes himself some new companions, he's on his own. I reckon we can take him out between us."

"What the hell happened to the nervous, frightened Edgar I found here, handing over the store's money?"

"He grew a set of balls, and he got mad when someone he lo— cares about got hurt." Edgar flushed and turned away.

I reached for him, careful not to squeeze his injured shoulder, and drew him back against my chest. "I care about you, too," I murmured. "Now tell me, how badly are you hurt?"

"Redhead scratched me. Tore right through my shirt and into my arm. It's not bad enough to need stitches."

"And he didn't bite?"

"No."

"Okay." I kissed his ear. "You'll be okay."

The rest of the night passed quietly. Redhead didn't pay a visit, although plenty of customers came to the store. I went to buy a few new clothes, then sat reading while Edgar worked. When he locked up, we went back to his apartment.

"What do you think he's doing?" Edgar asked. He didn't need to clarify who he meant.

"He could be finding some back up. If you took out his two thugs on your own, and knowing me and the dogs are here, he may not be rash enough to come by himself. That's what I'd do."

"Well, whenever they come, I'll be ready," Edgar said with conviction.

The apartment was secure, the dogs in the kitchen, but with access to the whole place in case they were needed. We finally had some time to ourselves without there being a distraction.

"How's your arm feeling?" I asked.

"It's fine. A bit sore, but I barely notice it." He took off his shirt and unwound the bandage, showing me two long scratches from shoulder to elbow. They looked sore but were no longer bleeding. He found a fresh bandage and I put it on for him.

"I had plans for last night." I slid my arms around him. "If we hadn't got back here to that fire—"

"Funny you should mention that. I was just wondering what would have happened. Things keep getting in the way." He leaned closer and teased my ear with his tongue. "Didn't you say something about doing this all over my body?"

"Hell," I groaned, instantly hardening. I turned my face into his neck and breathed in the scent of him. His blood raced through his veins just beneath the skin, and every beat of his heart thundered in my ears. I bit gently, only with my teeth, and teased his throat with my tongue. He tasted so good. I couldn't get enough.

I licked and nibbled my way across his collar bone, back to his throat and up his neck to his ear, then down again to his chest. Every inch of skin I tasted was tantalising, sweet and warm, faintly salty from his sweat, and the scent of blood in my nostrils made my dick throb and leak. I backed him towards the bed and when he sat down, I pushed him backwards and crawled over him. I couldn't wait any longer.

"Do you have lube?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said breathlessly. "And condoms."

"Huh," I snorted. "We won't need them. Vampire, remember? I can't catch or carry any form of disease."

Edgar grinned and pulled me down against him. "Awesome."


	9. Chapter 9

I seemed to have been waiting for this moment forever and to a vampire, that's a hell of a long time.

I kissed Edgar again, keeping my fangs in check as I explored his mouth. I unfastened his pants with deft fingers and slid my hand inside. He was hard and leaking through his underwear. My erection strained against the tight confines of my jeans, and I wondered at my habit of buying the tightest pants available. They always ended up crushing my dick.

The scent of Edgar's blood pooling in his groin and the muskiness of his arousal went to my head. I couldn't control myself any longer and reluctantly had to stop kissing him. Instead, I breathed in the scent of him and licked his skin, while I pushed his pants and underwear down. He kicked them off, then pulled one leg up to remove his sock. I took the opportunity to strip off my clothes and toss them aside. Then I pushed his knees apart and lowered myself over him, resting my weight on my elbows and knees. Our erections brushed against each other, and Edgar gasped at the contact.

"Kiss me," he urged, gripping my neck. I shook my head and showed him the tips of my fangs. He sucked in another breath, then relaxed and smiled. "I should be used to that."

"Where's the lube?"

"Next to the bed." He pointed to the left. I leaned over the side and grabbed the pump-action bottle. I squeezed some out and slid my hand between us, slicking us both up so our erections could slide against each other. Edgar groaned and squirmed under me, his dick throbbing in my hand. "I'm gonna fucking last about three seconds again."

"There's an easy fix for that." Grinning, I stroked us together, firm and quick. Hot flesh slid against cooler flesh, and Edgar growled and swore as he shot his load onto my dick and my hand. Seconds later, I finished too. I released us, then slid down the bed to clean him up with my tongue.

"Shit, Paul. I didn't want to come yet," he groaned.

"You got reserves, don't you?" I chuckled. "Now, we can take our time."

He laughed. "Yeah, you're right."

I lay down beside him again and he turned onto his side to face me. I slid my arm around him and stroked my fingers up and down his back, through his hair, around his neck, exploring every inch of him until his skin broke out in goose bumps and his heart raced. His erection grew again and bumped against my thigh. Mine had barely subsided and it stiffened fully. I found the lube and coated my fingers. This was it. I wanted it so much, I had to remind myself not to rush it.

"Lift your leg up," I whispered.

Edgar bent his knee up and rested his leg over my hip. I reached down and stroked slick fingers along the crack of his ass, easily finding the warm puckered spot. He stiffened.

"Relax. Have you touched yourself here?" I ran my thumb over his clenched hole.

"Yes. Sorry." He took a breath, then breathed out slow and let his body go limp.

"I won't hurt you." His anxiety lessened my desperation enough that I could retract my fangs. Relieved, I brought our lips together and teased him until he responded eagerly. When I pressed the tip of one finger into him, he stayed relaxed. I groaned at the feel of him, so hot and tight.

I'd done it before with a guy, that one time, but this was so different. He had been no one, just my next victim. I'd enjoyed it, more than I'd enjoyed the girl, but with Edgar—hell, I couldn't talk myself out of it any more. I loved Edgar. I would have _died_ for Edgar. And when I put my dick in him, it wouldn't be just fucking. It would be so much more—more than anything I'd ever experienced.

He grunted softly as I pressed in deeper, tight heat, wet from the lube, gripping my finger. Fuck, he felt amazing. I could have come just from fingering him. I pulled my lips from his again. "Is this okay?"

"Yeah."

I withdrew almost all the way, slid in again, and curled my finger up. I knew his prostate was there somewhere and it was supposed to feel amazing. I'd read something about that once.

"Holy shit," he gasped as his body twitched in my arms. His erection jerked against my leg.

I chuckled. "Feel good?"

"I could come from just this."

"You want more?"

"Uh huh."

I kept doing what I was doing, pumping my finger into him, bumping that sensitive spot now and then, loosening him up until I could slip a second finger in without too much resistance. He tensed a little and dug his fingers into my neck.

"Okay?" I brushed my lips against his cheek. I couldn't kiss him properly again—my fangs were out.

"Don't stop. I'm okay." He slicked up his hand with lube, then wrapped his fingers around my dick and stroked lightly.

"Fuck," I hissed. My arousal ramped up another notch and my balls tightened. "I want you so bad, you have no idea how much."

"Me too." Edgar closed his eyes, trembling slightly as I scissored my fingers to stretch him. I don't know how I knew to do that—it just seemed like it would work.

He let go of my dick and slid his arm around my neck, holding on tight. I turned my head, the scent of his blood stronger as my nose brushed his ear. I wanted to taste him as badly as I wanted to fuck him. I could imagine the slight resistance of his flesh before my fangs pressed in, the warm coppery sweetness on my tongue as his blood filled my mouth. My imagination was such that it felt and tasted real, and my vision blurred in ecstasy.

Edgar whimpered and his hand gripped a handful of my hair. I opened my mouth to ask if I hurt him, and realised I'd done exactly that. It wasn't my imagination. His blood was in my mouth, and there were two small wounds beneath his ear. "Shit, Edgar, I'm sorry." Despite my remorse, I couldn't stop myself licking him to catch the tiny droplet of blood oozing from one of the holes left by my fangs.

"It's all right." He slid his hand down to my erection again and gave it a firm tug. "Do it. It's all right."

I didn't repeat it, but I did tease the bites with my tongue, savouring the taste as I pulled my fingers out of him and guided my dick to his entrance. It wasn't the easiest position and I wouldn't be able to move as much as I liked, but that would be a good thing for him. I wouldn't be able to go too deep and hurt him.

The head of my dick pushed in and we both groaned. I slid my arms around him and held him close, easing in more, then withdrawing a little.

"Oh God," Edgar groaned.

"Too much? You want me to stop?"

"No. Please." He pulled off me and turned onto his back. "Like this."

I rolled over and pushed his leg up, hooking it around my waist, then guided myself back in. When I would have stopped halfway, he pulled me in more, fingers digging into my hips. I bottomed out, buried deep with my balls pressed up against him. In my desperation not to bite again, I let my fangs puncture my lower lip and tasted my own blood instead. Slowly, I began to move, taking care not to be too rough until Edgar began to push back against me. His hips bucked, encouraging me to fuck him harder. He rolled his head back, exposing his throat and drawing my attention back to my bite and the scent of his blood.

"Oh, fuck." I couldn't stop myself. With blood still oozing from my lip, I lowered my head and gently slipped my fangs into his neck. His taste mingled with mine, coupling with his tight heat gripping me and pushing me over the edge. I came, my body shuddering and jerking as I filled him. I withdrew my fangs and propped myself up, slipping my hand between us to bring him off.

I pulled out slowly, then rolled onto my side and tugged him into my arms. Each time a droplet of blood welled on his neck, I licked it to prevent it spilling onto the pillow.

"How bad is it?" he murmured, eyes closed.

"It's tiny. Barely even bleeding. Are you okay?"

"Yeah." He snuggled closer, completely trusting.

I stroked his hair and held him closer. I hadn't thought it possible for a vampire, which was supposed to have no soul, to feel so much. I was overwhelmed and the lump in my throat almost choked me. I wondered if David and Dwayne felt like this and supposed they must do. They gazed at each other like the sun shone out of each other's asses. "You're mine," I whispered, so I quietly I thought he may not hear me. "I love you, Edgar."

He didn't answer and for a moment I was gripped with fear that I'd said too much. Then I registered his slow heartbeat and soft, steady breathing, and realised he was already asleep.

I didn't move for the rest of the night. Edgar slept peacefully in my arms, and I listened to him breathe, a foolish smile on my face. When he stirred it was just before dawn. I kissed his ear and checked the wounds on his neck, which had already started to heal.

"Morning," he grunted.

"Hey." I traced a line of kisses from his ear, across his bristly jaw, to the corner of his mouth. "You okay?"

"Yeah." He smiled. "Last night was amazing."

"It was incredible," I agreed.

"I need to get up." Edgar kissed me on the lips, then pulled away and got out of bed. He disappeared into the bathroom and I heard him take a piss, brush his teeth, and shower. Then a faint rasping noise told me he was shaving. I pulled the blanket over my head and let myself drift. Edgar would take the dogs out, feed them, and take them to the store. I would join him later, as usual.

When I woke, my body telling me it was dusk, I was starving. The taste of Edgar's blood the previous night had reminded me I needed to feed as well as eat. I hadn't been feeding regularly since things started with Edgar and I would end up putting him in danger if I didn't. A little bite during sex wouldn't hurt, but if I got too drained, I'd take too much and weaken him or possibly kill him. The thought almost made me sick.

I showered, dressed, and went out to hunt. For once the boardwalk and the beach didn't offer any lone victims, and I didn't want to have to deal with the aftermath of a pair or a group. I headed into town instead, and wandered around the deserted areas until I found a single guy trying to break into a warehouse. I fed from him and killed him quickly, then picked up the body and flew out over the sea to dump it. When I landed on my feet in the parking lot at the end of the boardwalk, I ran into Redhead.

The other vampire had killed two girls in a convertible, leaving their blood splattered everywhere to be found later or in the morning. Wiping his mouth, he walked away from the carnage and came face to face with me. There was no sign of damage to his eye or face any more, after Edgar's attack on him with his holy water condoms.

"You." He planted his feet apart and glared at me.

"Yeah, it's me."

"Your human pet killed my guys. You probably know that."

"Of course I know. It's a shame he didn't take you while he was at it."

"You're on the wrong side." He grinned nastily. "I suppose the little fag has a warmer hole than our kind."

"Fuck off," I snarled, my fangs growing.

Redhead grinned wider. "Don't tell me. You don't like me talking about him like that. You better watch your back, _Paul._ I'm biding my time, deciding whether to kill him or change him. Wouldn't that be poetic justice? The little vampire killer turned vampire?" He cackled evilly.

I lost my temper and flew at him. My strength and momentum swept him off the ground, hurling him through the air with my fists clenched in the front of his jacket, until I slammed him into a tree at the perimeter of the parking lot. As I pinned him there, I ducked in an effort to rip out his throat. He held me at arms' length, his own fangs extended.

"So, it's a battle of strength. Who's more determined, I wonder?" Pushing himself off the tree, he shoved me downwards, all of his force throwing me onto my back on the concrete. My body jolted and the back of my head split a little from the impact. Redhead's fist came down into my mouth, smashing my lips against my fangs. Blood welled in my mouth and dripped down my throat. "Where's the little Frog and your hounds now, huh?" Redhead winked.

Furious, I hurled myself up again, throwing him into the air and propelling him higher and higher, until the force of my spring ended. We hung there in the air, gripping each other in a show of strength, each trying to overpower the other. We were evenly matched, and I realised it would be a frustrating battle, with neither of us gaining the upper hand easily. We whirled around, a bizarre waltz two hundred feet up in the air, wrestling and struggling. Redhead gripped my throat, digging in with long nails in an effort to rip me apart. I reached down and grabbed him between the legs, crushing his balls in an iron grip until he howled and let me go. We separated and sank to the ground, landing ten feet apart.

I readied myself to fly at him again, just as a truck approached, headlights catching us both. The driver braked and a couple of occupants in the back leaned out the windows. "Are they fighting?" one asked.

Redhead spun around, revealing himself to the humans with fangs extended. I shook my head and slipped into the shadows. The fucking idiot didn't care about anything, and letting three, maybe four people see what he was if he didn't intend to kill them was stupid. I would catch up with him another day. I ran back to the boardwalk, leaving him to play whatever foolish game he had in mind.

In minutes, I reached the comic book store, and Redhead's antics faded in my mind as I anticipated seeing Edgar. A sappy grin spread across my face as I walked in. Instantly, the grin froze, as did my steps, as I found David and Dwayne in the store.


	10. Chapter 10

"Feeling brave, are we?" David teased. "And what the hell are you doing with Paul's dogs? Where is he?"

Edgar was scowling, a holy water bomb clutched in his hand. Zeus and Mars stood either side of him, confused. Obviously, they knew David and Dwayne, but they were there to protect Edgar. He was threatened and they knew they should be on his side, and yet they were facing two guys who had once helped take care of them. Luckily, no customers were in the store.

"David, come on," Dwayne protested. At least he made a vague effort to stop our leader bothering Edgar. Not too long ago, I'd got great pleasure out of tormenting Edgar myself—now I felt guilty for it.

"What?" David glanced at Dwayne. "I'm allowed to have some fun. It's been too long since we saw the little Frog. He's all growed up now. Not very much taller, though. He'd better not have done anything to Paul."

"Leave him alone, David." I strode up and pushed past him, then turned to stand in front of Edgar. David's fangs were out. The dogs licked my hands.

"Paul. What are you doing here?" David raised his eyebrows, as if he hadn't known I was in Santa Carla.

"What do you mean, what am I doing here? I told you where I was going, and you see Zeus and Mars."

"I meant, what are you doing _here_? In this store. And why are you leaving your dog's here with _him._"

"Leave Edgar alone. You came to see me, right?"

"I came to see what you're up to. Dwayne mentioned something."

I glanced at Dwayne and he shrugged. "Only that you'd been asking about… you know."

David's eyes widened suddenly in understanding. "Paul, are you and him—?" He switched his gaze from me to Edgar, then back to my face. "No. No way. Dwayne said you'd been asking about how to avoid changing someone."

I sighed. They were bound to find out sooner or later, but I'd hoped it would be later. I took a step back to stand beside Edgar, instead of in front of him. "Yeah, I'm with Edgar, okay? What's it to you who I choose?"

David rolled his eyes. "Seriously? You've never expressed any interest in anyone, human or vampire, and now you do and it's a vampire _killer._ Is that why you came back here? You wanted him back then?"

"No." I shook my head. "Let's go somewhere else and talk, okay? I'm not doing this here in the middle of the store." I turned to Edgar. "Watch out, okay? Redhead's around. I just got in a skirmish with him."

"A skirmish?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. I'll see you soon." I lowered my head deliberately and kissed him on the mouth. "Boys, stay," I told the dogs, and walked out of the store with David and Dwayne following.

"Where's the RV?" Dwayne asked as I led them around the back of the store.

"Long story."

"So, where are you living?" David looked around.

"In here." I pulled Edgar's spare key out of my pocket and unlocked the apartment.

"You're _living _with him? Holy shit! Now I've seen it all." He laughed.

"David!" Dwayne punched him in the arm.

"Don't forget you turned into a complete sap over Dwayne two years ago," I reminded him. "You were moping around after him like a lovesick fool. If he hadn't changed as fast as he did, don't tell me it would have been any different."

"Yeah, you got me. You know I love Dwayne."

"Well, I love Edgar," I blurted, stomping up the stairs to the apartment.

"You've been back here about five minutes," David reminded me.

"How long did it take _you_ to fall in love? Huh?" I led them into the lounge room and hovered by the window. "Don't judge me. He's what I want."

"He kills our kind."

"I don't give a shit. He won't hurt me, and he'll leave you alone too, if you stop behaving like such a dick around him." I paced, growling, as Dwayne pushed David down onto the couch and sat beside him.

"He wouldn't have a chance against me," David grumbled.

"David!" Dwayne snapped again. "What's wrong with you? Don't you want Paul to be happy? He's family, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah." David sighed heavily and looked up at me. "Are you gonna change him?"

"No. I wouldn't even ask that of him."

"It won't last." David raised a hand to cut off Dwayne's protest as he opened his mouth. "Look, I'm being serious. He's human. You won't be able to resist forever. You already bit him. Yeah, I saw his neck. And if by some miracle you manage to keep him alive, he'll age, and you won't. You're stuck at twenty-two in case you've forgotten. How old is he?"

"Nineteen," I grunted. The age thing had slipped my mind, but did it even matter? I wasn't looking as far ahead as ten years or even five. I'd been too busy living in the moment.

"Well, then. Will you still want him when he's forty? Fifty? Will he want someone who could be his son? Who's always gonna be what we are? Dead?"

"David, that's enough!" Dwayne stood up. "What the fuck is wrong with you? Can't you put aside our past issues with the Frogs and just be happy for Paul that he found someone he wants to be with? What would you have done if I hadn't changed for you? Walked away? I know you didn't give me a choice in the beginning, but if you had and I stayed human, what then? Are you saying you don't love me quite that much? That you'd have left me when I got too old?"

"Dwayne, you know I don't mean that. I'm sorry," David groaned. "I'd never have left you, no matter what."

"Don't be such a hypocrite, then. None of us know how long we're gonna live. Why not enjoy what we've got while we have it, and that goes for Paul and Edgar too."

"Yeah, all right. You're right." David sighed again and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, Paul. I am. You know I never liked Edgar, but I'm letting it colour my judgement. If you want him, then I hope it works for you."

"Good." I nodded, calming slightly. "Anyway, we have something more important to talk about since you're here."

I went on to tell them about Redhead and his two thugs, how Edgar had killed the pair after they destroyed the RV, and that Redhead was "biding his time," perhaps getting together some more back-up before he came after us.

"That's why the dogs are in the store," I finished. "I won't leave Edgar alone at night."

David nodded. "Okay. Now this is something I can get into. Hunting down this Redhead character. Any idea where his nest is?"

"It was under the collapsed section of railway in the caves, but Edgar burned them out of there. I don't know if he went back."

"So, we check it out, plus the old cavern and any other place we can think of."

"You're sticking around, then?"

"Looks like you could use us." David grinned.

"Yeah, that'd be good. Why are you here, by the way? You didn't tell me."

"Curiosity. When Dwayne told me you'd been asking questions about keeping a human alive when you were fucking, I couldn't wait to find out who you changed your mind for. I just didn't expect it to be a guy, least of all Edgar Frog."

I shrugged. "That threesome you caught me having started it. I wasn't looking for a guy, at all. Or anyone. I intended to carry on as I always have. Then I went in the store and, um, something changed when I saw Edgar."

"His blood called to you." David nodded. "It's different from when you just want to feed. It's like a magnet pulling you."

I raised an eyebrow. "You're talking about when you met Dwayne?"

"Uh huh."

I grinned. "Then you understand. Don't let me hear you bad-mouth Edgar again."

"Fine. So, the night is young. Are we going to look for this Redhead guy, or what?"

"Let's do it." I followed them outside again and locked up. They waited in front of the store while I told Edgar what we were planning. "Lock up as usual when you go to bed," I told him. "Leave the window open a crack and keep the dogs with you."

"Be careful," he said.

I grinned. "There are three of us now."

We ducked behind the store again and from there, launched ourselves into flight. Our first destination was the caves under the collapsed railway, and we reached the area quickly. Everything was blackened from the fire Edgar had lit, and there was no sign of Redhead having come back there.

From there, we headed for the old cavern we'd inhabited, flying in over the sea and entering the passage. When we reached the central area, we found it to be exactly as we left it. Not a thing had changed, the only sign of life being a few rats scuttling around.

"Where else could he be?" I mused.

"I have an idea. Remember where you found me, David?" Dwayne said.

"Under the coaster?"

"Yeah. There was a trapdoor under it, leading to an old service room. It was abandoned years ago when they refurbished the coaster and built the new electronics room behind the entrance gate. I went in there to sleep when the weather was cold. It's dark and well hidden—ideal for a vampire."

"Let's check it out," I said at once.

We flew back to the boardwalk, landed behind the coaster, and ducked down to walk underneath it. Dwayne led us to the spot where the trapdoor was, and it was brushed clean of dust and debris, as if it had been opened recently. I pulled it open, and immediately smelled death and blood emanating from within. I made my way slowly down the steps, followed by the others.

"This is it," David confirmed, indicating a perch high up in one corner, made from a pull-up bar embedded in the wall.

"Yeah, I remember seeing him wearing that jacket." I point to a leather jacket thrown over an old chair. The ground beneath our feet was damp, soaked with blood. "This is him, all right. Now we just need to find him."

"Looking for me?" Redhead dropped feet first through the trapdoor and landed in front of us. "Oh, you brought some friends." He grinned and showed his fangs. "So did I."

Two other vampires descended behind him, both blond and muscular, very like his original companions.

"You seem to have a thing for blond muscular guys." I chuckled. "You didn't waste any time."

The two guys glanced at each other. David nudged me with his elbow. "They're only half."

I nodded. I could smell the blood racing through the pair's veins. They wouldn't yet have the strength of full vampires, and were inexperienced, giving us the advantage. I took a step to my right, bringing me directly in front of one of the blond guys. One on one was an even match, only David was stronger than Redhead. Dwayne copied my move, placing himself in front of the other thug.

Redhead grinned wider. "Let's dance."

It took me less than thirty seconds to kill my opponent. He was clumsy, hesitant, too busy checking what the others were doing to concentrate fully on me. After a brief scuffle, I went for his throat and tore it out with my teeth. Gouts of blood sprayed from the wound, soaking both him and me. Clutching his neck, he staggered backwards, giving me the opportunity to dive in, grip his head, and tear it from his shoulders.

Dropping the head, I turned to watch the others. Dwayne was in the process of doing exactly what I had done, and he finished off his victim with a flourish, tossing the head aside and wiping his hands on his pants.

David and Redhead battled fiercely, but it was clear who had the upper hand. "Come on, at least _try_ to fight me," David taunted. "You're boring me."

Furious, Redhead flew at him, gripped his shoulders, and propelled him against the wall of the small room. The wood supports snapped and cracked, timbers falling to the ground around them. David gave Redhead a hefty kick, tossing him across the room where he struck the opposite wall. As he sprang to his feet, David was on him, fangs extended. Redhead responded and the pair gripped each other, scrapping and struggling, although it was clear David was holding back. I'd seen him fight on plenty of occasions. He was dragging it out, letting Redhead think he could win.

Dwayne and I folded our arms and leaned against the wall, amused as we watched for perhaps five minutes. David stumbled and fell, grinning wickedly, as he waited for Redhead's next move. The idiot really thought David was tiring. As he approached, David moved with lightning speed, so fast he was a blur. Suddenly Redhead was face down in the dirt with David's boot between his shoulder blades, both his arms pulled back and gripped tight by the wrists. A quick yank, and his arms came free. David tossed them aside, making Dwayne and me duck to avoid being hit by body parts.

Redhead howled in agony and annoyance, but his scream was quickly cut off when his head was torn from his body. David held it up by the hair and looked into its eyes. "Stupid boy. Thinking you can take on the Lost Boys. Really." He dropped the head and kicked it like a football into the corner of the room, then brushed his hands together. "Disgusting. Could have at least washed his hair."

I snorted. "Thanks, guys."

"Definitely our pleasure." David grinned. "I think we might stick around for a while. Santa Carla is more fun than it used to be. "


	11. Chapter 11

"Where's your RV?" I asked as we walked away from the coaster.

"In the parking lot." Dwayne gestured behind us.

"Park it behind Edgar's store for now, if you want," I offered. "You'll get towed if you stay in the lot too long."

David grinned. "Is that what happened to you?"

"No, I moved behind the store after a couple of days."

We parted company then, with David and Dwayne going to fetch their temporary home while I went to the apartment. The store was in darkness and locked up, and I guessed Edgar had gone to bed. The apartment door was secured, too, but he had left the bedroom window open a crack. I rose quickly to the sill, pulled the window wider, and climbed through. Zeus and Mars sprawled on the bed, one either side of Edgar. He wasn't asleep.

"Boys, go to your bed," I instructed. The dogs grumbled but took themselves off to the kitchen.

"Did you find him?" Edgar asked.

"Yeah. He's dead, along with his two new half-vamp henchmen."

"Did you kill him?"

"No, Dwayne and I dealt with the thugs. David finished Redhead." I stripped off my clothes and went to put them in the washing machine. They were soaked with partially dried blood. I took a quick shower, then dived into the bed and tugged Edgar into my arms. His warm naked body pressed against mine and I groaned at the feel of him. He quickly grew hard, his blood racing, spiking both my arousal and my hunger. I tucked my face into his neck and breathed in the scent of him. "You smell so good." I licked his neck. "Taste good too."

Edgar laughed. "Stop sniffing me and kiss me."

I pulled my head back and covered his mouth with mine, kissing him heatedly until my fangs began to emerge, forcing me to stop. I reached for the lube, squeezed some into my hand, and wrapped it around both our erections to rub them against each other. Edgar wouldn't be up to fucking again quite so soon, but even this was enough to make us both come in minutes. Afterwards, we snuggled together, my face in Edgar's neck, continuing to breathe in the scent of him. If I'd been alive, my heart would have been pounding so hard I wouldn't have been able to distinguish one beat from the next, the way Edgar's was at that moment. His blood thrummed through his veins, his pulse not slowing.

"You okay?" I whispered.

"Yeah. I just… I was gonna tell you something. I don't know if I should."

"Now you have to tell me." I kissed his ear. "You can't say something like that and then _not _tell me."

Edgar's skin heated as he flushed. He pulled away from me and rolled onto his back. I followed, sliding across him so I rested on top of him, my weight supported by my knees and elbows. I nudged his nose with mine, forcing him to look up at me.

"What are you doing?" He turned his face away.

"Tell me."

"Are you staying?" he asked quickly.

"Staying? Of course I'm staying."

"I mean, now Redhead's gone and—"

"I came here before I knew about him, remember? I'm here because of you. Do you really think I'd leave you now?"

"Um, I don't know. That's why I'm asking." He closed his eyes.

"Edgar, will you look at me?" I pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. Reluctantly, he opened his eyes again. "I'm not going anywhere," I said. "Maybe if you still hated me and didn't want me around, I would. But that's not the case, is it? I don't think you'd be doing this with someone you hate."

"Huh, no," he grunted.

"I love you, Edgar," I said clearly. "You're stuck with me."

His anxious look vanished and his eyes shone. "Love you too." He growled the words as if he was cursing me, and I chuckled. He'd never said that to anyone. It was probably awkward to say. Then again, I'd never said it myself and I couldn't stop the words spilling out of me. I hugged him tighter, squeezing him until he gasped.

"Sorry. Don't know my own strength." I relaxed and lay thinking sappy thoughts about lucky I was until Edgar fell asleep. Then I simply lay there, listening to him breathe.

Hours later, the sleep of the dead pulled me under, just minutes after Edgar gave me a kiss and slid away from me. I dimly heard him showering and setting off to take the dogs for a run on the beach. Then I slept.

We fell into a new routine with me living at the apartment with Edgar. David and Dwayne stayed for a while, deciding they'd had enough of peace and quiet. In Texas, there were no ready human meals on the doorstep, and none of the excitement that came with other vampires. Santa Carla was alive with both.

David and Dwayne moved back into our old home in the cavern, leaving the RV behind Edgar's store for whenever it was needed.

Although the killing of Redhead cleared the area of vampires momentarily, others soon came as they always had. They were no match for the four of us. Although David, Dwayne and I disposed of most of them, Edgar did his fair share during the daylight hours when wandering bloodsuckers found a place to nest, not realising the town was inhabited by a quartet of killers.

Sometimes, living with Edgar was difficult. I loved him, and I never would have hurt a hair on his head, but occasionally when I couldn't stop myself tasting his blood, stopping at one sip was a struggle. A few times I had to leave him right after fucking him, too scared to stay in case I bit too hard or drank too much. Most of the time I could control it, but not always. He understood and he wasn't scared, but I scared myself when I visualised biting a little harder, drinking a little more, or doing what Dwayne told me I could do only if I wanted—changing him. He was twenty now and I wondered if we really could last. In ten years when he was thirty, would he still want me? When he was forty or fifty and I was still stuck at twenty-two, would I want an old man?

I tortured myself over it, never telling him about the thoughts in my head. I didn't want to make him miserable or fearful, but I confided in Dwayne. I trusted him and I knew he wouldn't tell David unless I did. David wasn't the most tactful creature and the first words out of his mouth would be "I told you so."

The only problem we had was when Edgar's friend Sam visited. He was living in LA working as a gofer on a film set, hoping he'd eventually get a part in a movie. Ironically, the one he was working on was about vampires, and he was less than pleased to find out David, Dwayne and I were back in Santa Carla. When Edgar told him about us, and that we were all friends, Sam almost gave up on his friend, but eventually, warily, he got over it although he wouldn't have anything to do with the rest of us. We'd killed his brother and he would never forget it. He left after only three days and kept in touch with Edgar by phone in the future.

When Edgar turned twenty-one, Sam came back to see him and bring a gift. By then he was married and had a baby on the way. David and Dwayne took the RV and left town for a while. I offered to go with them, but Edgar wouldn't hear of it. So I stayed, and tried not to think about how tasty Sam and his wife smelled while I counted off the hours until they went back to LA.

A couple of months later, what we had came under threat. A pack of new, young vampires came to town, following the rumours and looking for fresh blood. "Missing" posters appeared everywhere, almost like the time when David made me, Dwayne, and Marko, and we went on a rampage around Santa Carla.

We hunted them and despatched two, but Dwayne was injured in the fight. He recovered quickly after David fed him, but we realised we'd met our match. There were still three of them, and Edgar stayed out of it. He hadn't seemed well for the past couple of weeks and I'd been bugging him to go to the doctor.

"It's nothing," he said after he woke with yet another excruciating headache and buried his head under the pillow. "It's just a migraine."

"Edgar, if you don't get this checked out, I'll take you to the hospital myself," I growled. "And you know how hard that will be for me."

"I'm fine," he insisted.

"You're not fine. It's been nearly three weeks. You have headaches all the time. You won't let me near you. You're always tired. Something's wrong!"

"Typical of you to turn it into sex or lack thereof," Edgar grumbled. "You got a right hand, don't you?"

"That's not what I meant, and you know it. You're usually as horny as me. And you hardly ever get sick. I'm worried about you. I don't give a shit about fucking!"

"Don't shout. My head hurts." He gave in, which was totally unlike him, and went back to sleep.

Two days later, he collapsed in the store, his limbs twitching like he was having some kind of fit. Luckily, it happened in the evening and I was there. I closed the store and called the paramedics, then accompanied him in the ambulance to the hospital where I waited, paced, and fought my hunger every time I smelled blood, which was a lot.

Eventually, I had to leave before dawn came. Terrified, I went back to the apartment and did the only thing I could think of that could help Edgar. I called Sam.

"Some lover you are," he snapped. "Can't even stay with him when he needs you. You see how bad you are for him?"

There was nothing I could say. He was right, and for the first time since I'd fallen for Edgar, I wondered if he would be better off without me. What use was I to him when he was sick and needed someone? I couldn't be at his side.

The next day, Sam brought Edgar back to the apartment. I didn't even know about it until dusk when I woke. They were in the lounge room, talking loudly and angrily.

"You're crazy!" Sam shouted. "I won't let you do this!"

"It's not your decision," Edgar growled. "It's my life and it's the only way."

"But you'll be dead!"

"Exactly! But at least I'll still be living in a way!"

I dragged on a pair of jeans and burst into the room. Edgar paced the room, his pulse rapid, the scent of blood and sweat strong. He was angry and scared, and Sam, who stood by the window, was in the same mood.

"What the hell is going on?" I demanded.

"This is nothing to do with you!" Sam yelled. "Fucking bloodsucker."

"It has everything to do with him." Edgar lowered his voice and took a deep breath. "Paul, I want you to change me."


	12. Chapter 12

"What? Why?" I gaped at him. Then it dawned on me. "What's wrong with you? What did they say at the hospital? Edgar?" I closed the gap between us and gripped his shoulders.

"You can't do this," Sam said in a small voice.

"I have to, Sam." Edgar stepped closer and leaned against me. "I have a brain tumour. Where it is, they can't operate. Well, they could, but I'd likely end up a vegetable. I don't want that. I want _this._ My life with you, or at least as much as I can have. It's just gonna have to be different."

"You want to be a vampire?"

"Of course I don't want to be, but I don't have a choice. I might live a year or two at most otherwise, and it'll get worse. The headaches, seizures. My moods will change. I don't want that. So, will you?"

"I—" Of course I would, if that's what he wanted. The shock of what he'd told me, that he would die otherwise, rendered me speechless, and he mistook it for hesitation about what he'd asked of me.

He pulled away. "Paul, if you won't do it, I'll ask David. You know he won't say no."

"I didn't say no. I'm just—I'm—" I sat down on the couch. "How long have you known what's wrong?"

"A few days. I've been reading about it. That's why I put off going to see the doctor. I knew what they were going to tell me."

"Fuck, Edgar." I sunk my head into my hands. Of course I wanted him to be like me. It would mean we could be together, always, without him aging, without him getting sick or hurt. But he'd always hated vampires until he fell for me, and I knew he'd prefer to do anything rather than be one—besides die.

"I know what I want." He sat beside me and draped his arm around my shoulders. "At least I'll always stay like this. Twenty-one, young and hot, right?"

"God, I can't listen to this. Sorry, Edgar. I'll call you tomorrow." Sam shot out of the door and left the apartment.

"Don't joke, Edgar," I said. "Are you sure? Have you thought this through?"

"A million times. I even thought about it before I got sick. When I had my last birthday, I started thinking what would happen when I get to thirty, or forty, and you don't age with me. Eventually, we'd lose each other. I don't want that. Do you?"

I shook my head.

"Don't you want me to be like you?"

"More than anything," I admitted. "Sometimes it's hard to resist. Sometimes I have to leave so I don't bite you like that."

"I know. This is the only way. It'll go, right? When I change? The tumour, I mean?"

"Yeah. When I said you stay the same as when you're changed, I meant age and physical appearance. If you're sick or injured, it heals."

"Then do it. Tonight. Before I get any worse. I don't want to wake up another day with that headache. You know what that's like? It's like someone's hammering a stake into my forehead. Like my brain's gonna explode."

"Okay." I nodded. "But you have to understand something. You'll have to change fully and that means—"

"I have to kill." He squeezed his eyes shut.

"Yes. If it helps, when Dwayne changed, David took him hunting for bad people—rapists, thieves, gang members, people like that. People who'd hurt somebody."

Edgar opened his eyes again and nodded. "I suppose that might help. I have to do it anyway. It's all or nothing. I don't want to be half. I remember how Michael suffered."

"Okay. We'll do it, but I want David to be here. It's not nice, what happens after. David took care of me when I changed, and Marko and Dwayne. I want him around in case I need some help. And we need to figure out where to find someone suitable for… well, you know."

Edgar sighed. "Fine. I don't care. Nothing can be as bad as what I'll go through if this thing gets any worse. If David has to be here, that's fine."

"Right. Well, no time like the present, I guess. Stay here." I left him, raced downstairs and into the store. Dwayne was looking after things, accompanied by the dogs, but David was nowhere to be seen.

"Paul?"

"Where is he?" I demanded.

"Hunting. What's wrong? Is Edgar okay?"

"No, he's not, but he will be. I need David. I'm gonna change Edgar."

"Fuck! Why? What's wrong with him?" Dwayne's eyes widened.

"Brain tumour." I choked on the words and my eyes stung. "He asked me to change him. It'll fix him, won't it?"

"Yes." Dwayne put his hand on my shoulder. "He'll be fine when it's done. It'll be gone, he won't be sick anymore. I thought you knew that."

"Yeah, I just wanted confirmation."

"Confirmation of what?" David appeared, one eyebrow lifted.

I brushed a hand across my eyes, annoyed with myself. This was no time to cry like a pussy. "Edgar's sick. He'll die if I don't change him."

"I distinctly remember him saying something along the lines of preferring to be dead than undead."

"That was years ago, you asshole! He was a kid!" I snarled.

"Whoa, what did I say?" David backed up, hands raised.

"David, Edgar has a tumour. He asked Paul to change him," Dwayne said.

"Shit, Paul, I'm sorry," David groaned. "Do you want the bottle?"

"No. I'm going to do it myself, but I want you to be there."

"You know how to do it?"

"Yeah, Dwayne told me ages ago."

David nodded. "When?"

"Now. He wants it to be tonight. And he wants to fully change, so we need to find someone for him to feed from."

"I'll stay here for now," Dwayne said. "The store's busy. Unless you want me?"

I shook my head. "Edgar will appreciate you looking after the store. Keep the dogs with you."

"I'll come up in a while. I'll bring someone with me."

"Thanks, Dwayne."

David and I went up to the apartment and found Edgar pacing again. He clenched and unclenched his fists, his heart racing. He stopped still when we entered the room, his gaze darting from me to David and back again. He licked his lips nervously and gulped.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" I asked him.

"Yes. So long as you do it." He glanced warily at David

David took a step back. "I won't lay a finger on you. Or a fang. I'm here to help if I'm needed, that's all. You know what happens after you get bit?"

"I have to feed to complete the change."

"Yes, but after that."

"Sort of. I die, right?"

"Yeah, and what happens when a person dies?"

"David." I frowned warningly. "It's not nice, Edgar. It hurts, and you'll puke and shit out everything in your system. It takes an hour or two."

"Like I said, it can't be worse than the pain in my head when I wake up. Or worse than what will happen to me if you don't do it. What do I do?"

"Take your clothes off," David said. "Keep your underwear on for now if you want. You'll be spending quite a while in the bathroom."

Edgar nodded, then began to strip off his clothes, apparently unconcerned about David standing there. He stopped when he got to his plain black boxers. He picked up an elastic band from the coffee table, gathered up his hair and tied it into a ponytail. "Okay, I'm ready. Let's do this."

"Come and sit down." I sat on the couch and pulled Edgar down beside me. His heart hammered in his chest and his whole body trembled. I drew him onto my lap and wrapped both arms around him. "It'll be okay," I whispered. "I love you."

"Love you too," he grunted. His voice shook and tears rolled down his cheeks. "Fuck. Sorry."

To his credit, David didn't say anything. He stared at the floor, head turned away. I stroked my hand up and down Edgar's back, trying to calm him, but he wept and shivered, scared and unhappy. When his tears stopped, he slumped in my arms, eyes closed. "Do it now," he murmured.

It was the hardest thing I'd ever had to do. I'd never loved anyone before Edgar, and he was everything to me. I felt as if I wouldn't function without him, and that I might as well throw myself into a fire or walk out in the sun if anything happened to him. I was about to kill him in a way, and I hesitated, terrified, almost wishing David would take over. I looked up and he met my eyes.

"You can do it," he whispered, too quietly for Edgar to hear. "Remember that you're saving him from suffering."

I took a needless breath, found the spot beneath Edgar's ear that he liked me to nibble on, and plunged my fangs in. I bit hard and I imagined my venom leaving the small sacs behind the fangs, travelling to the tips, and entering his blood stream. The coppery tang of his blood filled my mouth and I withdrew my fangs, keeping my lips over the small wounds to stem the flow. Edgar whimpered and squirmed in my arms but didn't try to pull away. I lifted my head, then repeatedly licked the bite marks until they stopped bleeding.

"Is that it?" Edgar opened his eyes.

"How does it feel? The bite?" David asked him.

"Hot. Tingly. Weird. My heart's racing like it's going to explode."

David nodded. "That's it."

I heaved a sigh of relief that I hadn't fucked it up. I held Edgar close, listening to his heartbeat as it raced and stuttered, then gradually slowed. He stayed relaxed for a few minutes and none of us spoke. Then Edgar looked up and met my eyes. His usual deep brown irises were yellow, and I knew if he opened his mouth, his new fangs would be visible. He pulled away from me and got to his feet. "What now?"

"Hungry?" David grinned.

"Don't." I shook my head.

"Yeah," Edgar said. He licked his lips, then carefully touched the tips of his fangs with the tip of his tongue. "Fuck." He laughed nervously, then froze at the sounds going on downstairs.

"Where the hell are you taking me?" a strange voice demanded.

"To see the boss. You steal his stock, you pay," Dwayne barked.

"Let me go!"

There was a thump, then Dwayne's feet stamped up the stairs. He opened the door and came in carrying a body over his shoulder. He lowered it to the floor in front of Edgar and we all stared at the scruffy young guy. "He was stealing your comics," Dwayne said. "Add to that, he tried to get in the till when I was serving someone else."

"Is he dead?" Edgar's eyes widened.

"No, I knocked him out. Figured it would be easier."

"Shit." Edgar glanced at me.

"Take your time," I said softly.

Edgar shook his head. "If I think, I won't do it." He dropped to his knees, pulled the young man up by the collar of his shirt, and plunged his new fangs into his throat.

"Fuck," David muttered as blood spurted in all directions. "A little finesse, please."

"Shut up," Dwayne said under his breath.

We all watched as Edgar fed. The young man's heartbeat slowed and eventually stopped. Edgar got to his feet, his chest, arms, and thighs spattered with blood and rivulets of it running from the corners of his mouth.

"Jesus, get in the shower." David wrinkled his nose.

"Will you stop?" I scowled at him, and led Edgar into the bathroom.

"Did I fuck up?" Edgar stripped off his underwear and got in the shower.

"You made a little mess. Don't worry about it. It'll clean up."

"I feel sick. I can't believe I did that. But I had to just go for it, or I wouldn't have at all. I kept telling myself, it's him or me. If I don't do it, I'll die."

"Don't question yourself. You did great. It's hard at first, I know, but it gets easier."

"I never thought I'd be like this. You remember when I first met you guys? When me and Alan met you and wanted to kill you?"

"I know. Edgar, don't think about it now. You still have to get through the physical change."

"Yeah, like I really can't wait for that." Grimacing, he turned on the water and scrubbed the blood off himself. "Are the others all staying?"

A door slammed downstairs and I shook my head. "I told you I want David here, but I think Dwayne just left. He's probably getting rid of the body."

Edgar shuddered. "What now? How long does it take?"

"It'll happen some time in the next few hours. You'll sleep for a while."

He dried off, put on fresh underwear, and opened the door. I gaped at the sight of David mopping the wood floor to get rid of the blood.

"What?" He glared. "You expect me to lick it up?"

I snorted. "I wouldn't put it past you."

"You fucking do it then."

"I'm sorry, David," Edgar said. "I just wanted to get it done."

"Forget it. It's sorted." He took the mop into the kitchen. "Dwayne's gone to get rid of the kid. Then he's going to stay in the RV. He left the dogs in there."

I sat down on the couch again and Edgar snuggled against me, yawning. David found something to watch on the TV and sat in a chair. Edgar slept and we all waited. Some time very soon, the love of my life would be like me and then I'd never have to worry about losing him—not to sickness or age, anyway.


	13. Chapter 13

As Edgar slept, his body twitched, his breathing slowed to a couple of breaths a minute, and his heartbeat became so slow I could barely detect it. He was dying, and I both welcomed and dreaded it at the same time. I stroked my fingers through his hair, waiting for the final moments to come. The worst hadn't happened yet, but when his chest and stomach gurgled I knew it was about to. Suddenly, David snatched him from my arms and shot into the bathroom. I followed and hovered anxiously in the doorway.

I'd been through this and Dwayne had told me about his own experience. But it hurt watching someone you love go through it. Edgar sat on the toilet and leaned over the sink at the same time, violently emptying his body of everything from both ends. David held him up so he wouldn't collapse.

"I should be doing that," I said.

"Uh… no…" Edgar gasped between bouts of vomiting. "Don't look."

"You can go," David said. "It's fine."

I'd never known him to be like that—caring. Except for when I changed, and the others, and almost every minute he was with Dwayne. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all. He had a soft side to him, he just hid it well.

"I'm dying," Edgar whined.

"Yeah, you are, but you'll be fine soon. Hang in there," David said. "I got you."

I backed out of the room and closed the door. I knew how it felt. I'd been embarrassed when it happened to me, and there was only David there then. We'd been on the beach and I'd messed up my clothes so much we had to throw them away. I was David's first and he hadn't been prepared, but he took care of me as best he could. I'd wanted to die for real, so I wouldn't have to face him after. He'd told me the hideous story of his own changing, with Max leaving him locked in a garage to go through it alone, then turning a freezing hose on him to wash him down. I'd felt better about my own situation then. I realised David was probably kinder with his own new vampires because he didn't want them to go through what he had.

I turned on the TV, guessing Edgar would appreciate me making some kind of noise to drown out the sounds of him dying, even though to a vampire's sensitive hearing, it was as clear as ever. I paced, chewed my nails, hissed and spat and cursed. Midnight passed and Dwayne and the dogs came in, the store having closed.

"Paul? Where's—?"

"Bathroom." I realised the only sound issuing from there now was that of running water.

"Is he okay?"

"I think so. He didn't want me there."

Dwayne nodded. "It's horrible. David'll take care of him." He grinned. "You wouldn't think it, would you? He comes over all evil and grouchy, and inside he's as soft as butter."

"I know. I was just thinking about how he was good to me when I changed."

"Me too. He made it bearable."

The bathroom door opened and David came out.

"How is he?" I demanded.

"See for yourself." He gestured to the open door. "You might want to feed him a little, he's weak. But don't let him have too much. Remember what happened when I did that with Dwayne."

I nodded, went into the bathroom, and closed the door. Edgar was in the bath, soaking up to the neck in a froth of bubbles, steam rising from the hot water. I dropped to my knees beside the tub and touched the face of my very own vampire. His eyes snapped open and yellow orbs gazed into mine.

"You okay?"

He nodded. "Thanks."

"What for?"

"Doing this for me. And leaving when I asked." He lifted soapy hands and scrubbed at his cheeks as if to hide a blush, but of course he couldn't do that anymore. "I pity David. It was vile."

"He's used to it. I think it was worse with me, because he wasn't prepared to deal with it. I was the first one he changed." I leaned in and kissed Edgar's cheek. He had a dusting of stubble on his skin, which would now always be there. I kind of liked him rough like that. "You hungry?"

"Starving. I've never been this hungry in my life."

"You need both blood and food. Come here." I tucked my hair behind my ear and offered him my neck.

"We can feed from each other?" he said in surprise.

"Yeah. Don't take too much, though. You can make me too weak to move if you overdo it."

"Do we get to share when we're fucking?" Edgar grinned wickedly. "You always used to go into ecstasy when you bit me and came at the same time."

"This is the first thing you think about when you just changed?"

"You should be pleased. I haven't been much fun in bed for weeks with that fucking headache." Still grinning, he leaned closer, then pressed the tips of his fangs into my neck, humming with pleasure as my blood filled his mouth.

"I thought you'd have a real issue with this at first," I murmured.

"Uh huh," he mumbled, mouth full.

I closed my eyes, for the first time able to enjoy what David and Dwayne shared—being fed from by a vampire lover. My dick hardened and my fangs grew. I couldn't taste him yet, not until he was stronger, but I anticipated it. I could have sat there, blissfully unaware of being drained and ended up in trouble, but to my further amazement, Edgar stopped after a minute.

"Better not have any more right now," he said, licking his lips. "And I would have an issue with it if I let myself think about it. I'm not. I'm just thinking that the tumour is gone. I'll never get sick again. I had to do this for me, and for you. Can we go out and get burgers or something now? I'm still starving."

I chuckled. "You're amazing, you know that? I love you." I brushed my lips over his, catching a faint taste of my own blood. I left him alone to dry off and get dressed.

David raised an eyebrow by way of a question.

"He's fine. Better than fine."

"And now we're four. Those three rogue vampires won't know what hit them. We'll stay out of sight tonight. Edgar will need to build up his strength. Make sure he feeds again before dawn. Tomorrow night we'll all hunt together, then we'll go after them."

"Sounds good." I wondered about the store, but that was something Edgar and I would have to figure out. He wouldn't be able to open it in daylight hours from now on, but perhaps he could employ someone to do that.

"I'll leave you to it." David went to find Dwayne.

I waited for Edgar, and when he emerged from his bedroom he was wearing army pants, a black T-shirt, and heavy boots—his usual attire. He looked as he always did but I knew different. He was many times stronger than he had been and I would no longer need to be careful about how rough I was with him.

"David left?" he asked.

"Yeah, he'll be in the RV with Dwayne and the dogs. Let's go and get something to eat."

We walked along the boardwalk where most places were now closed, but found a food stand still open, trying to sell the last of their stock to the few people wandering by. The offerings were the remains of a whole pig on a spit, sliced thickly and stuffed into rolls with onions, cheese, and sauces. We grabbed two each and went down to the beach to eat them.

"I'm still hungry," Edgar said when he'd finished his two sandwiches in record time.

I imagined the longing clawing at his belly and throat, and knew it was nothing to do with food now. He needed blood. He'd need to feed every day for a couple of weeks before it settled down, but the first day was always hardest.

"Come with me." I took his hand and lifted off the ground. He followed, gazing about him in wonder as we soared above the coaster, now in darkness, and floated across the deserted parking lot.

"This is awesome. I never thought about this part of it." Edgar laughed, sounding like a delighted kid who'd been given the best present in the world.

"I'm glad you can see the best in it."

"The best in it, is that I get to be with you, always." He squeezed my hand harder. "I love you, Paul."

"I love you."

We flew for a while, for the pleasure of being able to do it, then landing quietly in a park the other side of the centre of town. It didn't take long to find a couple of thugs breaking into an electronics store, one of whom had smashed the skull of a security guard with the jemmy he was carrying to break in with. The guard was dead. Edgar took his killer, clamping a hand to his mouth and whisking him out of sight, while I dealt with the other. When I'd finished with him, I picked up the body and looked for Edgar. He'd completely drained his victim, who lay in a crumpled heap at his feet. This time there was no mess.

"Is it wrong that I liked doing that?" he asked.

I shook my head. "For us, it's normal."

"Yeah, but this guy deserved it." Edgar kicked the corpse. "That security guy was just doing his job. He's probably got a family somewhere. Now he's dead for no reason."

"If this works for you, like it did for Dwayne, there are plenty of lowlifes that the town would be better off without."

Edgar nodded. "Yeah, it works. What do we do with the bodies?"

"Dump them in the sea. This time of night, the tide is on the way out. Pick it up and follow me."

We shot up into the air, carrying the bodies, and a few minutes later dropped them into the ocean beyond the point. By morning, there'd be no trace of them. We landed behind the comic book store and Edgar pulled out his keys. "What are we gonna do about the store? I can't open until dusk now."

"You could get a manager?" I suggested as Edgar locked the door behind us. "The store's been doing well the last year, hasn't it? You can afford it."

"Yeah, I could do that. I'll think about advertising." He raced up the stairs. "Hurry up!"

"What's the rush?"

As I reached the top of the stairs, Edgar grabbed me and thrust me against the wall. He gripped my neck and pressed his body against mine. He was hard and eager, pupils dilated. "What's the rush? It's been three weeks. I need you to fuck me. _Now._"


End file.
